CD Projekt Red (CDPR) is quickly turning into the most anti-gamer establishment out there - hiring people with disdain the very audience they're meant to be making the games for in the first place.
Shoutout to Neogaf for compiling all the details on this complete shitshow of an 'employee'.
Cian Maher, now a Franchise & Lore Designer at CDPR, and former "Journalist" for The Gamer (among a slew of other outlets), from what I can tell... has no discernable 'actual' game development skills or talent - but instead, a well-documented history of outwardly expressing hatred and hostility toward gamers, going so far as to say he’d like to “punch” them.
Yeah. That's a totally normal line of thinking.......
Cian's just the latest in a troubling pattern for CDPR, following the addition of Mary Kenny, who's openly advocated for pushing specific agendas in video games with her infamous line pushing LGBTQ propaganda into gaming, stating on dualshockers: "There are so many LGBTQ developers, and we want what players want - to design experiences that tell the player we're here, we're important, and we belong... We need to pull every lever we have".
Kenny’s activism-focused approach to storytelling alienated a lot of former fans, and her hiring drew criticism for prioritizing an ideological alignment over skill and respect for the very audience she had been tasked to make games for in the first place.
This is no accident. Game companies do extensive background checks on employees they're bringing in to create the very culture to exist there. CDPR isn't even bothering trying to hide it anymore...
A History of Anti-Gamer Sentiments
Maher’s career began in games "journalism", and we all know the type by now... where he worked as an Associate Editor and eventually Lead Features Editor at TheGamer.com. A site I've personally felt has become the breeding ground for some of the worst, most spite-filled hateful people in the video game industry media... So no, what I'm about to discuss here didn't shock me whatsoever. But man is it depressing to see this keep happening.
During his tenure there, and even after being hired by CDPR, Maher has repeatedly made inflammatory statements about gamers... For example:
In July 2022, he shared a meme captioned: “I am once again asking for you to stop being toxic little weirdos.”
In June 2021, he mocked gamers, writing, “Law school being easier than dealing with gamers says everything anyone needs to know about this gig lmao.”
In January 2020, he directly stated his desire to punch gamers.
In December 2020, he dismissed criticism of games journalists by asking, “If you think this job is so incredibly well-paid (it’s not) and easy (it’s not), why don’t you just do it yourself?”
These are just a few examples of Maher’s open disdain for gamers. His track record of providing hateful content to the very people consuming the products he works on is quite extensive... to say the least.
There's a very good video covering EVERYTHING about it here (shown above) if you want to deep dive just how awful of a scumbag this dude really is... yet through it all, he's only been rewarded with a position where he's responsible for shaping the lore of one of gaming’s most beloved franchises.
Ummm.... Come again?
Lore Designer or Lore Breaker?
Maher’s disdain for gamers isn’t his only red flag. Despite being a Lore Designer, Maher has repeatedly defended adaptations like Netflix’s The Witcher and Amazon’s The Rings of Power, both of which have been criticized for breaking established lore... But he's supposedly a "lore" expert?
Someone make it make sense... PLEASE! I'm freaking begging you.
Regarding The Rings of Power, Maher lashed out at fans, accusing them of “pretending your vitriol and bigotry have value.”
When addressing The Witcher, he claimed criticism of the show’s disrespect for lore was “lazy”...
The pattern displayed here with his attitude raises some serious concerns about whether Maher respects the integrity of the franchises he's now tasked with overseeing. I'm not particularly confident...
Anti-Gamer Rhetoric in Plain Sight
Maher’s disdain for gamers is not limited to a few isolated tweets. He's consistently defended DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) hiring practices, going so far as to claim that anyone questioning these policies is “sh**e” and untalented.
In a thread from May 2022, he stated:
“If you claim you can’t get a job because you’re straight and white, I’m sorry — you can’t get a job because you’re sh**e.”
“Diversity is absolutely essential to hiring in editorial today. How can you claim to accurately or meaningfully cover anything if your team is just a bunch of dudes who all look the same having beers in the office?”
“Hiring diversely means you can’t just hire one person and call it a day. Outlets categorically need people from all different backgrounds and cultures if they want any chance of offering worthwhile commentary on the zeitgeist.”
This rhetoric reveals Maher’s contempt for anyone who doesn’t align with his particular ideological views, ironically once again... attacking the very gaming community he’s supposed to serve.
A Troubling Trend
CDPR’s decision to continue to hire individuals like Maher and Kenny reflects a growing trend of developers prioritizing this kind of ideological conformity over creating games that resonate with their audience. Maher’s open disdain for gamers, combined with his willingness to undermine established lore, raises serious questions about CDPR’s direction as a studio. The very questions that are being brought to the forefront right now by gamers unhappy with the Witcher 4 reveal trailer.
The gaming community deserves better than being labeled as “toxic little weirdos” by the very people making the games they love. Until developers start hiring individuals who respect their audience, rather than attacking them, the backlash will only grow stronger. For now, Maher’s presence at CDPR serves as yet another example of a developer out of touch with its fanbase... and why my wallet continues to identify as non-buy-nary to anything CDPR moving forward.
~Smash
I remember when the point of gaming was to make fun and engaging content. To vie for "game of the year". The last thing anyone wants in their escapist entertainment is politics.
I am TOTALLY stealing "non-buy-nary" going forward, LMAO. 🤣🤣🤣
Gamers can be some of the biggest snowflakes, crying over the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters in games—it’s honestly laughable.
pedo faggot kys
I think I have an idea about what's going on. With the movement like #mePoo and DEI, they have replaced talented people from the industry with SJ Activists, it was by design and no accident, if you fill in all the managerial positions with people who agree with you, now you have supreme power over everything. Now you can simply out source all the technical work, obviously it causes tremendous amounts of delays, thus the shitty launch, they realized people will buy anything with a good reputation, they sell the product first and then fix it which aligns perfectly with out sourcing the actual technical work. Players have to stop any kind of pre-purchase to stop this. Thankfully they are…