CD Projekt Hiring Multiplayer Programmer

Eurogamer reports that a new job ad has surfaced on CD Projekt’s web site, suggesting the developer is interested in adding online multiplayer to their proprietary Red Engine. CD Projekt, responsible for The Witcher series, have typically been interested in single-player titles, but with CD Projekt’s upcoming action-RPG Cyberpunk, that may change.

It’s worth pointing out that this is no guarantee of multiplayer features in the future, that The Witcher series is going to change. CD Projekt instead states it simply “want[s] to bring to the team someone experienced in this field to evaluate our concepts and ideas.” In other words, it’s interested in exploring RPG multiplayer gameplay possibilities and improving their engine on a technical level, not necessarily creating multiplayer games anytime soon.

The Multiplayer Programmer job advert advertised for someone to “prepare our engine for challenges of upcoming online component of our future games”, which probably means, “prepare our engine for the upcoming challenges of adding an online component to our future games”.

Responsibilities will include “creating a roadmap of changes necessary to add multiplayer to the Red Engine”, and “helping in design and implementation of multiplayer changes to existing systems”, among other things.

The advert also cited PS3 development experience as a plus. CDPR hasn’t released a game for PS3 yet, only Xbox 360 – but that’s not to say the studio hasn’t been interested in Sony’s machine.

While some players might call this doom and gloom, I’m actually fairly interested. For a long time we’ve had MMOs dominate the online world, but there are many, many more opportunities for multiplayer RPGs, and CD Projekt is certainly qualified to make them work.