Witcher and Cyberpunk Veterans Set Up New Studio; Debut With a Post-apocalyptic Game
The leading creators of The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 have established their own game studio called Blank. The first project of the experienced developers will be a post-apocalyptic game.
Today, former employees of CD Projekt Red, who until recently co-created such titles as Cyberpunk 2077 or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, announced the creation of a new game studio - Blank.
The initiators of the Blank project are Mateusz Kanik, designer of Cyberpunk 2077 and co-director of the third installment of The Witcher, as well as Jedrzej Mroz and Marcin Jefimow, executive producers of the third part of the adventures of Geralt, and Mikolaj Marchewka, one of the creators of studio Rookiez from Warsaw S.A.
In addition to the aforementioned developers, the team at Blank was joined by: Michal Dobrowolski (formerly of CD Projekt Red), Artur Ganszyniec (CD Projekt Red, 11 bit studios) and Grzegorz Przybysz (Division 48 Studio, Artificer).
On the occasion of the studio's reveal, the creators informed that their first work will be a post-apocalyptic game. The production lived to see a concept art (below), which, however, does not reveal much.
Blank focuses on balance
The new studio is based in Warsaw and is expected to start as a medium-sized team. The plan is for Blank to grow to 60 developers, who will co-create the first project.
As Mateusz Kanik's communiqué makes clear, the studio will prioritize work hygiene, or so-called work-life balance. In turn the developer's games are to be characterized primarily by story depth.
"After years of working in an increasingly conservative industry, we are ready to create bold, influential projects that share our unique creativity and values. Where the industry advocates the dictatorship of creative individuals, we want to give ownership to the team. Where the industry relies on a crunch culture, we favor work-life balance. Where the industry says bigger is better, we focus on polished games with an emphasis on emotion, story and craftsmanship."
