Modders Transform into Developers for Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel at CD Projekt Red

August 5, 2024

Cyberpunk 2077's quest director, Paweł Sasko, has shed light on the background of the team working on the highly anticipated sequel. It turns out that a significant portion of the team comprises individuals who started as modders.

In an interview with Flow Games (via PCGamesN), Sasko, who now holds the role of associate game director for the sequel, shared insights about Project Orion. He highlighted that the development team is quite large and includes numerous former modders. Sasko mentioned that half of the quest team, which currently has 24 members, consists of former modders. These developers come from backgrounds involving Witcher, Cyberpunk, and other titles. One notable member, Błażej Augustynek, now a quest director, was previously a modder of StarCraft 1 and 2.

Sasko also revealed that modders are present in other departments within the development team. There is a small group called Jigsoft, composed entirely of modders, totaling around 20 members who are collaborating with the main team.

Offering advice to aspiring game developers, Sasko encouraged young people to learn how to mod. He emphasized the availability of various toolkits and highlighted that some of the best developers in the industry started as modders themselves.

While Cyberpunk 2 is still far from release, it's clear that the project is in the hands of a dedicated and experienced team. This team is also responsible for the Phantom Liberty expansion, further proving their capabilities.

In April, CD Projekt Red announced that over 400 developers are currently focused on Project Polaris, aka The Witcher 4. Meanwhile, another 223 team members are distributed among other projects, including Orion, the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, as well as Sirius, Hadar, and additional shared services and projects.

Recently, the studio released The Witcher 3's official mod editor nearly a decade after the game's original launch. This tool allows players to craft their own experiences by creating new content or modifying existing quests and elements within the game.