Former CD Projekt RED Devs Launch New Studio, Focus on "Transparent Development"

Lizzy Finnegan

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Former CD Projekt RED Devs Launch New Studio, Focus on "Transparent Development"



Former CD Projekt RED developers, who worked together on the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, have announced the launch of a new game studio.

Chris Hardwick and Dan Cordell have officially announced [http://wickermangames.co.uk/blog/company-launch-press-release#] the launch of an Independent UK-based game development studio Wickerman Games. Hardwick and Cordell met when both were employed at CD Projekt RED, while working on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The two have a combined over 15 years worth of experience in the industry.

The press release states that the company was founded on "a few very simple principles." The first principle listed is "transparent development."

"This means we will be sharing as much spoiler free content as we can during development," the press release reads. "Allowing you access to our prototypes for larger systems, our 3D content, time lapse videos of us working - anything we can. Our idea is to give you all a front row seat into the game development process. This will all be done on a weekly basis for free."

Another principle mentioned is "respect for both the customer and staff."

"If we learned anything from our time at CD Projekt RED, it's that treating your customers well, really just makes life better for everyone involved, after all it is your hard earned cash you are parting with. As the old saying goes "if it ain't broke don't fix it" so we shall also be offering content DRM free (where possible) with a substantial amount of post-release support."

The studio is hoping to merge their "unhealthy obsession" with pen and paper RPGs with their love of computer games, with a focus on dynamic storytelling and player choice. "Choices should matter and have a dramatic effect on the outcome of the plot and as such the game world needs to be built in such a way to accommodate this."

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Quazimofo

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I wonder what was the prompt for them to leave and form their own studio. Especially if they still want to do story-heavy rpgs I'm surprised they're leaving as CD Projekt shifts to a game based on the Cyberpunk system.
 

Tragedy's Rebellion

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Lizzy Finnegan said:
The studio is hoping to merge their "unhealthy obsession" with pen and paper RPGs with their love of computer games, with a focus on dynamic storytelling and player choice. "Choices should matter and have a dramatic effect on the outcome of the plot and as such the game world needs to be built in such a way to accommodate this."
These kinds of declamations are getting really cliche at this point. Can you name one RPG-centric studio that hasn't said anything resembling this? Pen and paper this, player choice that, dramatic effects, controlling the outcome of the plot etc. And it never, ever works out. Just look at Obsidian and the train-wreck that is PoE. They are tackling the issue from the wrong end. I don't even know where I'm going with this, I just wanted to note that it's like a mantra RPG developers are repeating and it's getting annoying.
 

Strazdas

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May 28, 2011
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the transparent developement is a very nice stunt. their name will remain in publics eye every week now. free advertisement at its finest.
 

Mikeybb

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Tragedy said:
Lizzy Finnegan said:
The studio is hoping to merge their "unhealthy obsession" with pen and paper RPGs with their love of computer games, with a focus on dynamic storytelling and player choice. "Choices should matter and have a dramatic effect on the outcome of the plot and as such the game world needs to be built in such a way to accommodate this."
These kinds of declamations are getting really cliche at this point. Can you name one RPG-centric studio that hasn't said anything resembling this? Pen and paper this, player choice that, dramatic effects, controlling the outcome of the plot etc. And it never, ever works out. Just look at Obsidian and the train-wreck that is PoE. They are tackling the issue from the wrong end. I don't even know where I'm going with this, I just wanted to note that it's like a mantra RPG developers are repeating and it's getting annoying.
True, it's become a cliche but it still makes me smile.

Partly because it could be interpreted as them blowing off development time on a game so they can work on a particularly tough dungeon their DM (graphic design team leader) has prepared for them.
 
Apr 5, 2008
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Tragedy said:
These kinds of declamations are getting really cliche at this point. Can you name one RPG-centric studio that hasn't said anything resembling this? Pen and paper this, player choice that, dramatic effects, controlling the outcome of the plot etc. And it never, ever works out. Just look at Obsidian and the train-wreck that is PoE.
Could you explain this statement? Assuming that by "PoE" you mean Pillars of Eternity, you are gravely misconcepted. PoE was a triumph by every measure; a critical and financial success as well as loved by fans. It is a great game, a great RPG and has made many a "Best RPG of all time" list. So either you're talking about a different game or weren't paying attention to games media surrounding its release.
 

Tragedy's Rebellion

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KingsGambit said:
Could you explain this statement? Assuming that by "PoE" you mean Pillars of Eternity, you are gravely misconcepted. PoE was a triumph by every measure; a critical and financial success as well as loved by fans. It is a great game, a great RPG and has made many a "Best RPG of all time" list. So either you're talking about a different game or weren't paying attention to games media surrounding its release.
It's an RPG for the easily impressed, what more can I say? It may be a financial success, but so what? CoD is a financial success. It wasn't a triumph in anything. Neither in storytelling nor its systems. If we judge anything by popular opinion and its financial success we'll never get anything good ever. Read this review if you want a full explanation - http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=9867 it's close enough to what I think. But what I think hardly matters anyway, does it?
 
Apr 5, 2008
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Tragedy said:
It's an RPG for the easily impressed, what more can I say? It may be a financial success, but so what? CoD is a financial success. It wasn't a triumph in anything. Neither in storytelling nor its systems. If we judge anything by popular opinion and its financial success we'll never get anything good ever. Read this review if you want a full explanation - http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=9867 it's close enough to what I think. But what I think hardly matters anyway, does it?
Considering it was a fairly hardcore RPG, it was most certainly not for the easily impressed. That's what set pieces and elaborate cut scenes are for. What you think would matter if it reflected reality, but the fact is that you are subjectively and objectively wrong. If you said you didn't like it, I would respect your opinion to which you are unquestionably entitled. Labelling it a train-wreck however is a gross untruth when facts evidence otherwise. It was a success across the board, winning multiple awards, critical acclaim and community praise. It is as far from a train-wreck as can be. Perhaps you misunderstand the meaning of the term, but your statement about PoE is a patent untruth.
 

Tragedy's Rebellion

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KingsGambit said:
Considering it was a fairly hardcore RPG, it was most certainly not for the easily impressed. That's what set pieces and elaborate cut scenes are for. What you think would matter if it reflected reality, but the fact is that you are subjectively and objectively wrong. If you said you didn't like it, I would respect your opinion to which you are unquestionably entitled. Labelling it a train-wreck however is a gross untruth when facts evidence otherwise. It was a success across the board, winning multiple awards, critical acclaim and community praise. It is as far from a train-wreck as can be. Perhaps you misunderstand the meaning of the term, but your statement about PoE is a patent untruth.
I don't really know what you mean tbh. When is mainstream praise considered a milestone for anything? Bioware's games are also praised, but they are awful. Maybe train-wreck isn't the right word, I suppose. It's a shallow RPG with clunky mechanics, overly verbose purple prose that amounts to nothing and ultimately inconsequential to the genre. They'll probably make more, the same way more EA games are made, but that doesn't mean anything, not really. It means something to Obsidian's pockets, sure. Though we are getting really off-topic :p
 

Smooth Operator

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Certainly an interesting idea and I want to see how things work out.
My guess is neither side has fully grasped the boredom of reality yet, watching people sit at their desk for 8-16 hours a day is hardly entertainment, and recording/editing/uploading that footage could end up taking far more resources then it's worth... especially when people are bored of it and no one actually watches anything.

But hey let's see how this works out first, it certainly doesn't cost me anything to do so.