A fan of "The Witcher" who always wanted to live in Poland. How a Belarusian worked at CD Projekt RED for 6 years
The Polish studio employs numerous Belarusians.
UI and 2D Artist Angelina Lisovskaya shares how work is organized at the renowned Polish game development company.
In May, «The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt» celebrated its 10th anniversary.
This brilliant action/RPG, based on the literary universe of Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series «The Witcher,» has entered the top ten best-selling games in history and is still considered by many gamers as the gold standard of its genre.
The Polish company CD Projekt RED developed and published the third «Witcher» (as well as the two previous ones). The universe in which the plot of the three «Witcher» games unfolds is filled with allusions and metaphors that quite transparently hint at the mythology and real events from the history of both Poland and other Central and Eastern European countries. Belarusian players can also find something familiar in CD Projekt RED’s most successful product without much difficulty.
Of course, the landscapes of Velen and the surroundings of Novigrad with their groves, alder thickets, and birch forests familiar to Belarusians can also be found in neighboring countries. And the legend of the «Wild Hunt,» once used by Vladimir Korotkevich in his famous detective novel, actually came to the Slavs from the Germanic peoples. But, for example, the soundtrack of «The Witcher 3» prominently features the distinctly Belarusian folk song «Begla Storozha» adapted by the Polish band Percival Schuttenbach. Tens of millions of gamers worldwide hear it the moment Witcher Geralt gets involved in another battle.
«It took 4-5 months from submitting my application to my first day at work»
How did you end up at Poland’s most famous game development company?
By the end of 2017, I already had four years of game development experience—first at Wargaming in Minsk, then at Gameloft in Madrid.
When I came across a UI artist vacancy at CD Projekt RED, it coincided with potential layoffs at Gameloft. So I decided to apply. Plus, I had always wanted to live in Poland.
The hiring process wasn’t particularly difficult, but it was quite lengthy. This was before the pandemic, so before making a hiring decision, they would typically invite candidates to fly to the office and meet everyone in person. About 4–5 months passed between submitting my application and my first day at work.
But this was also due to an unusual documentation situation: they were struggling to figure out how to process a Belarusian with Spanish residency who wanted to move to Poland.
I think the decisive factor in getting the offer was that I didn’t limit myself to just what I did at work. I also created things in different styles and settings. At that time, my portfolio included many projects I did for myself in my free time.
What I had done while working on «tanks» would hardly have been enough, since both the style and setting were different. But my experience working on «tanks» proved very useful too.
Did the studio help with relocation?
They paid for my plane ticket and provided an apartment during my first month of work.
Did you need to know Polish?
The company has such an international environment and inclusive culture that you can absolutely get by without knowing Polish. The most important thing is knowing English.
Things are so good in this regard that even if Poles were speaking Polish at lunch just a second ago, but a foreigner suddenly joins them—they’ll switch to English mid-sentence.
How did the team treat foreigners?
At CDPR, it was always like this: it doesn’t matter where you’re from—you’re one of us. I never felt any alienation or discrimination based on nationality; it was always a maximally safe environment in this regard. And yes, there was always support from Russian-speaking employees. You could say we always stuck together (and many of us continue to stay in touch after leaving).
«There aren’t multiple managers, 'owners,' and directors with whom you need to coordinate every tiny piece of work»
The studio is known for intense work schedules. Did you have to work overtime?
I mainly worked on «Gwent» (a card computer game set in «The Witcher» universe, released in 2018). Personally, I never experienced crunch. On the contrary, at some point, to work overtime, you had to convince the managers and producers that it was necessary. To be honest, I would have worked overtime, as CDPR paid well for it when that option was still available.
I really enjoyed working on «Gwent.» I had long been a fan of «The Witcher» world and was very happy to work in that universe’s setting. I feel pride, of course, and a bit of that fan excitement, you know.
What was your level of creative freedom?
On our project, there was quite a lot of creative freedom. I often created things with references to the books for fans like myself. And for many assets, I even had to generate ideas independently when there wasn’t a strict brief. And most of our team had such enthusiasm that the atmosphere was conducive to creativity.
Was the corporate culture different from what’s typical for Belarusian IT companies?
Compared to the culture of the only Belarusian company I worked for—yes.
I’ve already mentioned inclusivity, which is, of course, the main and significant difference.
I also like that at CDPR, there aren’t multiple managers, «owners,» and directors with whom you need to coordinate every tiny piece of work. There’s no micromanagement.
At least on our project, there was no mocking or humiliating criticism that makes you want to cry: everything was presented with maximum respect and gentleness.
On the «not so good» side: CDPR is a typical corporation with all the downsides that entails.
Is it easy to grow within CDPR?
There are certainly many opportunities for development and growth in the company. I myself changed my role—became a concept artist. And I grew a lot during my years at the studio.
We had various cool artists come to give lectures (Nathan Fowkes, a concept artist who worked on many famous animated films such as «Puss in Boots,» and the late Kim Jung Gi, a famous Korean illustrator). There was also a studio where we gathered and drew from life every week. And in general, you could always approach any employee and ask them to teach you something, give constructive criticism, or offer advice.
We also attended every Promised Land event (a festival for artists organized by CDPR), and we had paid access to resources like IAMAG and Schoolism.
«Some of my acquaintances were severely affected mentally by these layoffs»
You mentioned you always wanted to live in Poland. Why? Did Poland meet your expectations?
Back in 2008, I went to a Polish camp, and it was my first trip abroad. Perhaps it’s «imprinting,» but I immediately fell in love with this country. We traveled with the camp group to different cities in southern Poland, and it seemed to me that this was a reflection of Belarus without dictatorship.
On one hand, it’s very similar to Belarus culturally and historically, and on the other hand—it’s more developed, free, and beautiful. I wanted this to be my home. And I’m still not disappointed: уes, Poland has its flaws, but every place does—just different ones, to a greater or lesser degree. But Poland’s shortcomings suit me just fine; I see many more advantages in it, in any case.
Why did you leave CDPR?
Like many others, I was laid off in 2023. They cut almost our entire «Gwent» team, although initially they promised that everyone would find a place on other projects, but in the end, almost nobody did (I think only 3 people were kept).
I didn’t end up going very far: I now work at Fool’s Theory, where we collaborate with CDPR, specifically working on the remake of the first «Witcher» for them.
Do you feel the current IT job market crisis? Has it become harder to find work now?
When we were laid off, I really felt the crisis in the game development industry job market. Finding work was difficult for everyone who was laid off. Some of my acquaintances were severely affected mentally by these layoffs, some decided to completely change their line of work and go into construction, for example.
It wasn’t easy for me to find work either: it’s one thing to apply for jobs when you’re employed, and another when, if you don’t get hired anywhere, you won’t be able to pay rent. I certainly remember that period with a shudder, as do most of my colleagues, acquaintances, and friends who were affected.
But now everything is going well, and I’m perhaps even glad that things worked out the way they did: I really like my current job, and CDPR paid good compensation to everyone for the layoffs. So I have no hard feelings toward the company.
Any advice for colleagues who want to work at major foreign game development companies?
I would suggest also considering small indie studios, as they have many advantages too! But generally, only large companies typically help with relocation, so this option might not suit everyone.
In any case, I recommend doing something for self-development and your portfolio in your free time, especially if you love what you do. This expands your employment opportunities and makes you more competitive.
Even if you’re a 2D artist, you should also have skills in 3D (though this is probably standard everywhere now). And it’s advisable to build a portfolio with works that fit the setting of the project you want to join.
How do you think one should best prepare for an interview?
I never prepare for interviews; I prefer to communicate naturally without forced preparations. The conversation won’t follow a set track anyway. So I doubt I can offer any tips. Although, I suppose that is a tip in itself.
Читать на dev.by