That sounds... troubling, but the pair insist there is "no bad blood," and their positions where transitioned 'smoothly' to others, and it also "wasn't a surprise" for CD Projekt RED.
Maciej Szcześnik and Marek Ziemak are the two long serving employees of the studio, working there since 2004 and 2006 respectively. Now they want smaller challenges.
"We did everything to make sure nothing bad happens," Szcześnik said of the transition, "there is no bad blood. Other people took our responsibilities and it was quite smooth." Ziemak added: "It wasn't a surprise for the company." In truth their contributions aren't uniquely critical as everything is a team effort, they insist.
"We were designing this game together," remarked Szcześnik, with Ziemak noting: "Most of the stuff is done."
In fact the two developers had tried to go it alone before in 2009, but their casual studio didn't survive and they were rehired to finish up The Witcher 2. As to why they're leaving before The Witcher 3 launches, they question why they should wait for an arbitrary date to arrive? It wouldn't make much difference, they reason.
Szcześnik will be lead designer and Ziemak a senior producer on their new project, which isn't 'casual'. 11 bit Studios employs around 30 staff and this new project is in the spirit of commenting on the world around us.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt releases on PC, Xbox One and PS4 in 2014.
