Michał Nowakowski has responded to claims that the studio is in big trouble because of “diversity hiring”.

Nowakowski took to Twitter to respond to a YouTube user, Endymion, who has long complained about “woke” games: “Seems we live in a time where anyone can record utter nonsense and make a story out of it. Is CD Projekt RED’s talent leaving? We have the lowest staff turnover in years. DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] driven hiring? We hire based solely on merit and talent, just as we make games based solely on artistic vision.

Why did you choose Unreal Engine? Because it allows us to work on our games more efficiently and to stay on the cutting edge of technology. The director of The Witcher 3 left? Well, yeah, more than 2 years ago… Now can we stop looking for conspiracy theories and get back to making cool stuff,” Nowakowski wrote.

Seems we live in times where anyone can record complete nonsense and make a story out of it. CDPR talent leaving? We have the lowest rotation of people in recent years. DEI-driven recruitment? We hire based on merit and talent alone, just as we make games driven by artistic… https://t.co/Fonbuxyaxd

— Michał Nowakowski (@michalnowakow) October 11, 2024

Despite Nowakowski’s “merit and talent only” comment, CD Projekt supports diversity initiatives. The company is also a signatory to the Polish Diversity Charter, “a document that commits to non-discrimination in the workplace and the implementation of policies that create and promote diversity. Last year it was also recognized by the 30% Club. This is an organization that “aims to increase the number of women on corporate boards and in leadership positions worldwide” for its menstrual leave initiative. It has also created a mentoring and scholarship program called Girls in the Game! that helps high school girls “take their first steps in the games industry.

“Our mission is to create revolutionary games for gamers around the world, and that’s why we need to empower our teams. A diversity of perspectives unleashes creativity and drives innovation,” writes Adam Kiciński, Head of Strategy at CD Projekt, in a message shared on the studio’s Diversity and Inclusion page.

In any case, critical voices prevail under Nowakowski’s tweet. The first top response asks why, if the company is not involved in DEI hiring practices, this culture is being reinforced within the company…

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