As crazy as it sounds EA, Activision were once loved Devs.
On Ps1 they used to release the best games around, some loved classics where made by them.
The Dreamcast flopped in part becaude EA didn't released games on it.
They all started as passionate game makers, then they grew bigger, started to own 2 then 3 studios, with even more employees, they had to pay the rent, pay the salaries, so they started to make more "mainstream" games, to find more lucrative approach.
Does it ring a bell?
It's not being evil, it's business.
Is CDPR evil? No
Could they follow some shitty business tactics to keep their head out of the water? Absolutely.
They do, we all do.
Money is the nerve of war.
Remove your pink shades, "Gaming" isn't a passionate niche anymore, it has been molded in a massive business in the past 15years, it's almost as big as the movie industry
With their success CDPR went to a level that they can't step back from, have money coming from public domain (polish government) etc...
So of course they have a big pressure to be "bankable".
Does it means they went evil?
Nope
It means they have to make sure they'll mainstream and standardize their products in a way that will maximize their profit so their 2studios, employees, Gog and the money they've been lended can get back in their owner's pocket and maybe make a lil bit more just "in case"
They're maybe in Poland, but still, that's a shitload of money we're talking...
That's like people asking for artists to release physical media, it costs a lot if you want to make it good and not throw money out of the windows, so if you plan on living with it, you better find a way to make it lucrative, unless you're a crust punk living in your van (and even there, you still need money)
I think that CDPR went out of the "niche" market with Cyberpunk, which may make them do some decisions that could lead them to be in a EA/Activision position.
The bigger you become, the more money you need and sorry but you don't fill your bank account with RPG's once you're that big and independant :/
They need to find the right middle, hense why they talked sometimes about possible microtransaction, or why they opted for a multiplayer (the idea is cool, but that's a good way to keep milking your game, which isn't illogical if you see it from a businesd POV), it's not a passion anymore, it's a job.
When you're creating your indépendant job, they basicaly told you to "keep your heart at home, it's business, not a love affair".
Hense why they're not evil, but...
If they are a business with shareholders being the only group whose best interests they now have at heart then maybe they should drop the whole “created by gamers for gamers” motto. Be honest with the audience.
But they won’t because it doesn’t sell the product and throws shade on their practices. They gotta make a product that appeals to the widest possible audience ensuring the biggest sales possible. Shareholders don’t care whether the company they own makes a piece of art or a piece of crap, it doesn’t matter to them as long as it makes them heaps of cash.