Cyberpunk 2077 lead gameplay designer leaves CD Projekt Red

Cyberpunk
(Image credit: CD Projekt)

Andrzej Zawadzki, a lead gameplay designer on Cyberpunk 2077, has announced that he will be leaving CD Projekt Red after nearly eight years with the studio.

Zawadzki announced his departure on Twitter, saying, "After almost 8 years, my time at CDPR has come to an end. It's time for the new adventure. To every person I've met on the way – thank you :) It was an honor and pleasure. See you around :)"

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Zawadzki joined CD Projekt Red as a QA tester, working on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and its DLC Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. According to his LinkedIn, he was then given the role of Junior Gameplay Designer in 2016 and began working on Cyberpunk 2077. During the course of its development, Zawadzki took on different roles including RPG Coordinator, before becoming the game's Senior Gameplay Designer in March 2020. 

When death threats began circulating around Cyberpunk 2077's tumultuous development cycle, Zawadzki was one of the most vocal individuals from CDPR to respond, telling his followers that the threats were "absolutely unacceptable and just wrong," adding "we are people, just like you."

It seems Zawadzki is taking a break for the time being, telling fellow developer Kyle Rowley that he's taking "long holidays." He has not given a reason for his departure.

Mollie Taylor
Features Producer

Mollie spent her early childhood deeply invested in games like Killer Instinct, Toontown and Audition Online, which continue to form the pillars of her personality today. She joined PC Gamer in 2020 as a news writer and now lends her expertise to write a wealth of features, guides and reviews with a dash of chaos. She can often be found causing mischief in Final Fantasy 14, using those experiences to write neat things about her favourite MMO. When she's not staring at her bunny girl she can be found sweating out rhythm games, pretending to be good at fighting games or spending far too much money at her local arcade.