Turn a blind eye to the obvious and trust the corporation that has spent years reshaping itself into an inclusive entity, driven by diversity and inclusivity in both its products and corporate structure.
CD Projekt Red’s CEO, Michael Nowakowski, recently posted a Tweet denying that ESG and DEI initiatives are pushing agendas or stifling their hiring practices.
This statement comes despite the fact that their latest game, Cyberpunk 2077 prominently features LGBT themes, transhumanism, same-sex romance, transgender characters, flags, and the removal of traditional male and female terminologies.
CD Projekt Red themselves appeared somewhat dissatisfied with the final outcome of Cyberpunk 2077, stating that the team could have pushed further in terms of political themes and messaging. They’ve expressed interest in expanding on these topics for the upcoming sequel, which will be penned by Mary Kenney, formerly of Insomniac Games.
Kenney is known for downplaying concerns about the role of consultation firms like Sweet Baby Inc. in the game development process, while also advocating for developers to use “every possible lever” to increase LGBT inclusivity and representation in gaming, despite modern gaming’s overrepresentation of queer themes.
For some, this push for inclusivity seems to be an overextension of political agendas within gaming, enough is never enough.
Meanwhile, CD Projekt Red’s CEO, Michael Nowakowski, recently tweeted in response to “conspiracy theorists” who question the company’s direction, denying that their hiring practices are driven by DEI agendas.
He claimed that hiring at CDPR is based purely on merit and talent. However, this statement has drawn skepticism, as CDPR funds a Polish scholarship program in partnership with the Perspektywy Educational Foundation, called “Dziewczyny w grze” (Girls in the Game), which is specifically aimed at women from smaller Polish towns who aspire to work in the gaming industry.
As part of the “Dziewczyny w grze” (Girls in the Game) program, high school students can receive 12,000 Polish złoty (around $3,100 USD) to support their education and professional development.
Participants also have the opportunity to join a mentorship program, where they are guided by a CD Projekt RED expert. The program includes workshops and valuable learning experiences aimed at fostering talent among young women aspiring to enter the gaming industry.
However, this scholarship and mentorship program, while significant, isn’t directly tied to CDPR’s overall hiring practices. Yet, since the rise of the feminist movement in the early 2010s, which opened doors for more women, many of whom hold progressive views and are fixated on “inclusivity and representation.”
CDPR has undergone notable changes in its staff composition. Over the past decade, the company has significantly increased its hiring of women, reflecting broader industry shifts towards diversity and inclusion.
It’s an undeniable fact that BlackRock’s ESG investment criteria and DEI initiatives have stifled creativity in game development and undermined authentic representation by gloating as they force it down everyone’s throat while dismissing criticism and any objection as racist rhetoric.
Woke consultancy firms, whose primary goal is to leverage cancel culture to enforce their views, have pressured game developers to conform to their standards on racial awareness and representation. This often results in tokenized race-swaps rather than genuine diversity.
Many gaming companies, fearful of backlash, have begun censoring themselves and their products, often introducing characters that fit specific DEI narratives, such as overly masculine, androgynous women into their games to meet these expectations.
Practically every major publicly traded gaming company in the U.S., Europe, and even Japan, including CDPR, openly declares its support for ESG/DEI initiatives on their websites, accompanied by sustainability reports to signal their alignment with these corporate agendas.
The evidence is clear for gamers to see. Both the original creator of Dragon Quest and the former editor-in-chief of Shonen Jump have openly criticized foreign policies on inclusivity, censorship, and the mandated use of “Body Type” terminology, calling foreign nations imposing these regulations as an “evil disguised as good.”
They have been vocal about their opposition to the unnecessary censorship imposed by Square Enix on the upcoming Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. This includes altering some of Akira Toriyama’s iconic character designs to be less revealing and removing religious symbolism, a move that has sparked widespread frustration among longtime fans of the series.
CD Projekt Red has become one of the most prominent companies to embrace DEI and ESG initiatives, integrating these principles into its corporate structure. According to their latest sustainability report, nearly a third of their employees are women.
In February 2023, the company formally adopted a Diversity and Inclusion strategy aimed at further expanding its commitment to diversity. As part of these efforts, CDPR collaborates with the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, organizing a “Cultural Diversity Week” to promote cultural sensitivity within the workplace.
During this mandatory event, a D&I expert leads a webinar focused on addressing and counteracting subconscious cultural biases, effectively guiding employees through training on the cultural practices of their colleagues, similarly to how Activision themselves mandates DEI officers to every development team to ensure coherence and acceptance of their policies.
Additionally, CD Projekt Red has actively participated in Pride Month celebrations and the “#SayHiToDiversity” campaign, further showcasing its commitment to diversity and inclusivity. The company also offers “menstrual leave” to its female employees, allowing menstruating staff to take an additional day off each month. This policy aims to foster inclusivity by providing extra support and benefits tailored to the needs of its large female workforce.
It’s absurd to watch the head of CD Projekt Red attempt to gaslight gamers about his company’s political stance, especially when CDPR has been steadily doubling down on ESG mandates for years.
The whole purpose of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives is to sanitize their products, making them inoffensive to people from all backgrounds. In doing so, they unintentionally prioritize hiring based on metrics of representation, effectively categorizing applicants by race, gender, and sexual orientation.
This approach tends to favor immigrants, non-Polish-born individuals, and female applicants over men. All of this comes in addition to the DEI webinars and programs the company has implemented, further reinforcing their agenda.
To deny the realities outlined above is to ignore the evidence. We’ve already touched on how Black game developers are being creatively stifled by the very progressive and inclusive ideals that DEI enforcement claims to promote. This approach often focuses solely on uplifting the “unrepresented,” emphasizing racial inclusivity and LGBTQ+ representation while ostracizing the traditional gaming audience, heterosexual men.
Modern gaming has become a shit show, with major companies like Microsoft, Capcom, Sony, and especially Ubisoft consistently subverting their franchises through censorship and superficial attempts at racial / sexual inclusivity.
Even if it means jeopardizing the entire reputation and credibility of the company to promote historical revisionism through the creation of a fictional Black samurai based on a purported historical figure from 17th-century Japan, distorting narratives to align with a modern race-obsessed agenda.
In typical fashion, the corporate executive who prioritizes diversity quotas over skill and competency is denying the influence of ESG-backed hedge fund investments on the industry as a whole. This trend aims to dilute game design and alienate consumers in order to push a specific agenda.
Anyone with a modicum of common sense can see that the notion of a safe and inclusive workplace that caters to everyone is merely a façade. These individuals have little regard for consumers and treat them as if they are retarded and racist.
It’s more than evident that nearly every major game corporation is bending over backward for “marginalized” groups, focusing their efforts on uplifting LGBTQ+ individuals, especially those who aren’t White.
As a result, the quality of game design has plummeted, with skyrocketing budgets and development times leading to widespread commercial failures, often amounting to hundreds of millions in losses.
Those who can see through this charade are dismissed as bigots, racists, or conspiracy theorists who dare oppose the ideological takeover of their escapism and the gaming industry as a whole.
