Update: An undisclosed change has been made to an interview posted on CD Projekt's website, slightly altering the meaning of comments made by Adam Badowski, head of studios at CDPR.

The interview was originally conducted in Polish and translated into English for the website; although CD Projekt is a Polish company with many English speakers, it is still possible that there was a mistranslation.

In the first translation, Budowski wrote: "The important thing is that diversity, and the different sensibilities and perspectives that come from it, should not lead to conflict. In this way, the energy of our team can be directed toward creation."

The updated version reads, "And the different sensitivities and perspectives that arise from this should not lead to conflict."

On the surface, this is a small change, but one that affects meaning.

Original CD Projekt CEO Adam Kisinski and CD Projekt Red studio head Adam Budowski were interviewed about the studio's approach to inclusion and diversity at the publisher.

The interview was originally conducted in Polish for Rzeczpospolita Daily and translated into English for the CDP website. In it, interviewer Katarzyna Kucharczyk asks Kisinski and Budowski about the company's seemingly more vocal advocacy of diversity and injustice than other companies in an increasingly conservative Poland.

While the interview uncritically presents CDP as a large diversity-loving company (CD Projekt surpassed Ubisoft in May to become the largest gaming company in Europe), both Kiciński and Badowski noted that the studio's approach to inclusion and how they approach the theme of the game, they have some interesting things to say.

When asked about CDP's actions to make the studio more diverse and inclusive, Kiciński claimed that the company prides itself on its diversity, then added a caveat. We also recognize that "efficient operations require proactive measures that promote mutual respect and tolerance." While this could be read optimistically as Kicinski saying that diversity is something to be actively addressed, a later statement by Budowski meant that diversity and inclusion should not simply rock the boat.

Regarding the importance of tolerance in the creative process, Budowski argues that some in the studio believe that the definition of tolerance is "the ability to respect the needs and opinions of others that we ourselves do not support and to refrain from opposing phenomena we deem evil." Others align with Popper's proposition that a tolerant society must not tolerate intolerance in order to remain tolerant. There are those in our studio who disagree with both views."

Budowsky himself is not explicit about which definition he follows, but he does say, "The important thing is that diversity, and the different sensibilities and ideas that come from it, must not lead to conflict. By doing so, the energy of the team can be directed toward creation."

It is worth mentioning that over the years, CD Projekt has been repeatedly alleged to be a toxic workplace culture full of crunches and bullying. In that context, the studio's voice saying that his employees did not believe in "fighting against phenomena we deem evil" explains a lot more about CD Projekt as a company than Budowsky intended.

Even stranger is found later in the interview when Kicinski makes a rambling aside about how California is "an excellent example of how openness, respect, and tolerance can foster innovative business and stimulate the economy." Silicon Valley is notorious for suffering from diversity problems, partly due to skewed hiring practices (as of 2019, only 6% of Apple's employees are black and only 23% of Facebook's employees are women) and partly due to the area's gentrification, which excludes those from underrepresented groups Highly.

Kicinski writes, "In the 20th century, the excellent writer Andre Norton (born Alice Mary Norton) chose to publish under a male pen name. Video games have no such problem."

While technically correct, this is not a fair comparison because games are almost always published under a studio or publishing company name, not an individual who must use a pen name. It also completely ignores the fact that women in the industry are once again forced to speak publicly about the harassment they have suffered while working in the gaming industry. Women may not have to work under pseudonyms, but they are still subjected to harassment and assault.

Overall, this interview paints a very bleak picture of CD Projekt. The studio makes cyberpunk games, a genre that is highly political about the terminal nature of unrestrained capitalism, and the studio's head says here that tolerance means "not fighting against phenomena we see as evil." While "Cyberpunk 2077" will probably be a technical achievement and an impressive bit of development, this interview has completely destroyed my faith that it actually addresses the politics at the heart of the genre.