CD Projekt Red Loses Its Creative Director to Blizzard Entertainment - MMORPG.com News

SBFord

CD Projekt Red Loses Its Creative Director to Blizzard Entertainment - MMORPG.com News

CD Projekt Red Creative Director Sebastian Stepien has left the company to head over to Blizzard Entertainment. According to Stepien's LinkedIn page, his new title at Blizzard is Creative Director.

Read the full story here

Coolit

Maybe this is a sign of things to come and a shakeup at the higher levels of Blizzard which is sorely needed.

Also as the Witcher series has been well received this is clearly a shrewd PR move.

Xasapis

"Age of Empires IV soundtrack will be made by the composer of The Witcher 3"

https://www.gamepressure.com/e.asp?ID=2168

SplitStream13

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

Phry

SplitStream13 said:

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

Which makes you wonder how much Blizzard offered him to go work for them.

SBFord

Phry said:

SplitStream13 said:

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

Which makes you wonder how much Blizzard offered him to go work for them.

Well the last guy who took a job there got $15 million.

Scot

It is good to see talent going into Blizzard, but only a change in direction for WoW will convince me anything is really being done.

Kyleran

SBFord said:

Phry said:

SplitStream13 said:

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

Which makes you wonder how much Blizzard offered him to go work for them.

Well the last guy who took a job there got $15 million.

I sure wish I could get underpaid like that. Heck I'll do it for $10M.

d_20

Kyleran said:

SBFord said:

Phry said:

SplitStream13 said:

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

Which makes you wonder how much Blizzard offered him to go work for them.

Well the last guy who took a job there got $15 million.

I sure wish I could get underpaid like that. Heck I'll do it for $10M.

Well, after taxes, if you're going to be living in that area like Newport Beach or Laguna Beach, you'll just be scraping by. 

Kyleran

SplitStream13 said:

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

I was going to disagree so I looked it up and found this from Indeed. Lessons learned kids, game development doesn't pay, work for a bank instead.

"The average Blizzard Entertainment salary ranges from approximately $34,727 per year for Customer Service Representative to $135,676 per yearfor Technical Lead. Average Blizzard Entertainment hourly pay ranges from approximately $12.72 per hour for Game Master to $42.62 per hour for Software Engineer"

ConstantineMerus

Kyleran said:

SBFord said:

Phry said:

SplitStream13 said:

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

Which makes you wonder how much Blizzard offered him to go work for them.

Well the last guy who took a job there got $15 million.

I sure wish I could get underpaid like that. Heck I'll do it for $10M.

You're hired mate. When can you start?

Scellow

ahhahaha Blizzard finally decided to go 3rd person view for diablo 4, can't wait, blizzard will die for good

mmolou

SBFord said:

Phry said:

SplitStream13 said:

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

Which makes you wonder how much Blizzard offered him to go work for them.

Well the last guy who took a job there got $15 million.

Actually, no.

He might end up with $15 million, but he might not, what he actually got, is $900k a year and a $3.75 million signing bonus.

SBFord

mmolou said:

SBFord said:

Phry said:

SplitStream13 said:

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

Which makes you wonder how much Blizzard offered him to go work for them.

Well the last guy who took a job there got $15 million.

Actually, no.

He might end up with $15 million, but he might not, what he actually got, is $900k a year and a $3.75 million signing bonus.

Oh way to rain on the comedic value of what I said. I know everything you stated, but that wasn't the point.

d_20

Kyleran said:

SplitStream13 said:

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

I was going to disagree so I looked it up and found this from Indeed. Lessons learned kids, game development doesn't pay, work for a bank instead.

"The average Blizzard Entertainment salary ranges from approximately $34,727 per year for Customer Service Representative to $135,676 per yearfor Technical Lead. Average Blizzard Entertainment hourly pay ranges from approximately $12.72 per hour for Game Master to $42.62 per hour for Software Engineer"

And like I said, the cost of living there makes these salaries even worse. A moderate 3Bdm 3bath house in Irvine can run about $1 million. That's a house in Woodbridge built in the late 70s. If you want to live in a nicer area, the prices go up from there. Then there's property tax and all that. And consider the housing market.

Edit. I saw a video or read somewhere that those hourly salary employees have to commute pretty long distances unless they are rooming with several other people in a cramped house or apartment because the rent is so high.

WhiteLantern

If you're making 12.75/hr, you should be looking for an apartment with three rooms. Not a house with 3B&3b. And there is nothing wrong with that.
/experience speaking

Lobotomist

SplitStream13 said:

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

Thing is, in eastern block countries. People work hard to be noticed by big USA ( or international companies ) It is kind of granted. I am sure that not him or his co-workers had any illusions he would not accept this offer.

Sadly times have changed drastically in last few years. And grasson neighbour lawn is not very green at all. In fact I am sure he is joining sinking ship, and he will regret it.

But still for game developer joining Blizzard is like being invited to take part in Star Wars movie. Who would say no ?

mazut

Coolit said:

Maybe this is a sign of things to come and a shakeup at the higher levels of Blizzard which is sorely needed.



Also as the Witcher series has been well received this is clearly a shrewd PR move.

You wish, Blizzard is huge money making corp... one man can't shake anything...

Xingbairong

d_20 said:

Kyleran said:

SplitStream13 said:

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

I was going to disagree so I looked it up and found this from Indeed. Lessons learned kids, game development doesn't pay, work for a bank instead.



"The average Blizzard Entertainment salary ranges from approximately $34,727 per year for Customer Service Representative to $135,676 per yearfor Technical Lead. Average Blizzard Entertainment hourly pay ranges from approximately $12.72 per hour for Game Master to $42.62 per hour for Software Engineer"

And like I said, the cost of living there makes these salaries even worse. A moderate 3Bdm 3bath house in Irvine can run about $1 million. That's a house in Woodbridge built in the late 70s. If you want to live in a nicer area, the prices go up from there. Then there's property tax and all that. And consider the housing market.

Edit. I saw a video or read somewhere that those hourly salary employees have to commute pretty long distances unless they are rooming with several other people in a cramped house or apartment because the rent is so high.

I'd assume most are local and already have homes there and as for the big fishes I think they might have extra bonuses added on top of their pay like housing/car being covered.

Also Blizz is known to underpay the normal workers and from what I've seen overpay the people who do jack shit.

some-clueless-guy

This is the real life equivalent of a wow player leaving an up-and-coming guild with a lot of potential for an established guild that has all content on farm.

Pher0cious

This is terrible news!!

rojoArcueid

mmolou said:

SBFord said:

Phry said:

SplitStream13 said:

Kinda sad to see CDPR leaking talent. Not only that but they go straight to a company that ... is well known to underpay, massively - unless you are a long-time worker.

Which makes you wonder how much Blizzard offered him to go work for them.

Well the last guy who took a job there got $15 million.

Actually, no.

He might end up with $15 million, but he might not, what he actually got, is $900k a year and a $3.75 million signing bonus.

I bet he was making half of that 1M a year or less in poland.

Look at A4Games, developers of the Metro games in Ukraine. I think they are better now that Deep Silver is publishing their games. I remember watching a documentary years ago of the environment A4Games were making games in. Even using spare laptops that other companies donated to them. It was sad, yet they made the amazing Metro like that.

Such level of talent should be rewarded with a lot of money. And here we see big AAA companies with a lot of money trying to get even more while screwing their own talent, so this guy will probably meet huge issues at Blizz or maybe not.

If CDPR's creative director finds a better home in Blizzard, good for him. My money stays at CDPR.

My thoughts.

Aeander

I'm sure he'll be put on some really creative mobile spinoffs.

SpottyGekko

At Blizzard, Stepien will be a relatively "small fish" in a BIG pond.

At CDPR, the opposite would be true.

One has to wonder what effect his departure will have on CDPR, more so than how it will affect Blizzrd...

FacelessSavior

All your dev are belong to us.

Mr.Gutsy

Greed knows no bounds.