Do you want to go to Boston? Because CD Projekt is looking for people to come to its studio to help test some new stuff
CD Projekt is a Polish company but the runaway success of The Witcher and (eventually) Cyberpunk 2077 has seen it expand beyond those borders: Polaris, better known as The Witcher 4, is being developed in Warsaw, but Orion, the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, is being made in CD Projekt's Boston studio. The Witcher spinoff game, currently codenamed Sirius, is also being developed in Boston, at CD Projekt's Molasses Flood studio.
It only makes sense, then, that the studio has now opened its in-house playtesting program to gamers in North America—specifically Boston. If you live there, or are willing to travel (on your own dime), you can now sign up for a shot at an early glimpse of what CD Projekt has cooking.
We're bringing our RED Playtesting Program to the United States!If you are:- at least 16 years old- located or ready to travel to Boston, Massachusetts, for onsite activities- passionate about gaming and eager to share your insights- not involved in game development… pic.twitter.com/ov8KDBgAotOctober 23, 2024
There are caveats, of course: You have to be at least 16 years old, have a CD Projekt account, and "love videogames [and] contemporary pop culture." You'll also need to sign some paperwork promising not to spill the beans.
"If your gamer profile aligns with what we’re looking for, we’ll reach out to you either through email or by phone to ask about your upcoming availability," the playtesting program FAQ states. "All playtests will be scheduled at least a few days in advance."
It's not clear what exactly CD Projekt is looking for in a "gamer profile," but the signup questionnaire digs fairly deep into factoids like age, occupation, whether you're a pro gamer or streamer, if you can attend test sessions in person (which seems pretty important for an in-person testing program), and your various gaming habits: How many games you play, preferred genre and platform, how much you read or watch game-related content, and all that sort of thing. As noted in the post on X, it's also a requirement that you not be involved in game development on a professional level.
CD Projekt's on-site playtesting program is also continuing in Poland, if you happen to be there instead of here (although for me, Boston is also a "there"), and it's possible that similar playtest opportunities will eventually come to Canada: This announcement refers specifically to Boston but the playtest FAQ says sessions are held "occasionally in Boston and Vancouver."
Even if you're not from Boston and don't plan on going there, the call for testers is exciting because it's a concrete sign that the next Cyberpunk game is approaching the point where at least parts of it are testable. That doesn't mean we're going to have our hot little hands on it anytime soon—a more detailed breakdown of the program says testing will involve "elements of our games and services at various stages of development or other related resources (e.g. drafts of promotional materials)," so you could theoretically be called in to eyeball some concept art—but it does mean that wheels have turned, and are continuing to turn. So who knows? If they're calling for testers in 2024, maybe 2025 will be the year we all get to see something.