CD Projekt Red cutting 100 jobs, CEO says they’re ‘overstaffed’

Dozens of jobs are on the chopping block at CD Projekt Red (CDPR) as the video game developer restructures its business.

In a blog post on July 26, CEO Adam Kiciński announced that the company eliminating approximately 100 jobs, or nine per cent of its total workforce.

“There’s no easy way to say this, but today we are overstaffed,” Kiciński said.

“We have talented people on board who are finishing their tasks and — based on current and expected project needs — we already know we don’t have other opportunities for them in the next year.”

The company behind major franchises, including The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, added that some workers “will be let go as late as Q1 2024.”

It remains unclear how many Canadian employees are affected by the latest round of job cuts. CDPR has an office in Burnaby, B.C.

According to LinkedIn, the video game developer employs a total workforce of more than 1,200 people.

Major tech layoffs continue

The reduction at CDPR comes amid a flurry of tech sector layoffs in 2023.

Big names, including Amazon, Microsoft, Ritual, Spotify, Meta, LinkedIn, and Dropbox, are significantly scaling back their staffing levels as they continue to navigate challenging economic conditions.

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Termination agreements for staff at CD Projekt Red

As part of the layoff announcement, Kiciński said CDPR will provide affected staff with a “comprehensive severance package.”

In B.C., non-unionized employees at the video game developer are owed full severance pay when they lose their jobs due to downsizing, corporate restructuring, or the closure of the business.

This includes individuals working full-time, part-time, or hourly in the province.

People working “on contract” or as a contractor may also be owed severance pay — given that many non-unionized employees in Canada are often misclassified as independent contractors.

Severance can be as much as 24 months’ pay, depending on a number of factors.

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• Severance for technology industry employees
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• Mass layoffs in B.C.: Rights to severance

WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains why you are still owed severance if you have been downsized on an episode of the Employment Law Show.

Before you accept any severance offer, have an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP review it and your employment contract.

We can tell you if what you have been provided is fair and how to get proper severance if it falls short of what you are actually owed.

If you don’t receive the full amount, which happens often, you have been wrongfully dismissed and are entitled to compensation.

In some cases, employers pressure staff into accepting poor severance packages, such as imposing a deadline for accepting the offer.

Non-unionized employees in Canada have up to two years from the date of their dismissal to pursue a claim for full severance pay.