After nearly 30 years serving CD Projekt Red, company co-founder and joint CEO Marcin Iwiński is stepping down. News of the departure came moments after CD Projekt Red released a strategy update regarding the future of the company and its upcoming titles.Iwiński steps down from the joint CEO role and will pursue the role of CD Projekt chairman of the supervisory board. By the end of 2022, all duties previously held by Iwiński will be handed over to his colleagues. Although Iwiński is stepping down from the top leadership role, he's enthusiastic about contributing to CD Projekt Red in a different capacity. Iwiński would succeed Kataryzna Szwarc, the current chair of the supervisory board at CD Projekt.The former CEO shared a lengthy message through the official CD Projekt Red Twitter account to relay his thoughts to co-workers and fans. Iwiński is excited about the future of CD Projekt and its 1,200 employees around the world. A sizable portion of those employees is working on many new titles at CD Projekt Red development offices. These titles include the first Witcher game in a new trilogy, a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, and a new IP. Additionally, the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion is in the final phase of development.
Iwiński will remain a major shareholder at CD Projekt as he pursues a non-executive role in the company. In addition, he plans to actively support the CD Projekt management board to the best of his abilities. Since CD Projekt Red is producing multiple new titles, Iwiński wants to ensure storytelling continues to be at the forefront. At the end of his message, Iwiński thanks developers and fans for helping shape CD Projekt Red over the past three decades.
The launch of Cyberpunk 2077 was mired in controversy, but CD Projekt Red is finally seeing a healthy resurgence in its titles. Interest in CD Projekt Red appears to be at an all-time high following the introduction of The Witcher live-action series and the Cyberpunk Edgerunners anime for Netflix. Various discounts for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 also encouraged new players to dive into the worlds crafted by the Polish studio. The change in leadership could incentivize developers to aim for new goals and ultimately lead to even better games from CD Projekt Red.
Many of CD Projekt Red's new games are in early pre-production. However, the company needs to keep the momentum going by ensuring a stable and successful launch of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty early next year.