Not only didCyberpunk 2077get off to a rough start, but it hasn’t gotten better press nearly a year after launch. It began with a slew of delays followed by a faulty launch. In response, its developer-publisherCD Projekt Redattempted to do damage control and remedy the situation by releasing a roadmap of 2021. To its credit, the developer did “deliver” on the patches in that they did happen, but whether or not they’ve resolved the majority of the issues with the base game is debatable.
Also listed on the roadmap, the only two things set to release in the second half of 2021, werefree DLCs forCyberpunk 2077and the PS4 and Xbox Series X/S ports. Again, what “free DLC” meant was left up for interpretation. Did this include a number of gameplay elements seemingly cut for time? New armor, weapons, and ammo? It’s unlikely that the “free” DLC would include new story content, following V whereCyberpunk 2077left off, but some theorize that CDPR may not charge to appease fans after the poor state of launch. Whatever the case, it’s important that it lives up to the expectations it set for itself and delivers that DLC by the end of this year.
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The Causes of Cyberpunk 2077’s Downfall
Prior to its launch,Cyberpunk 2077was one of the most anticipated gamesfor several years, especially after it released an impressive demo at the E3 2018 conference. But then it would go on to be delayed a number of times, one of the first instances to put off fans and make the gaming community suspicious of what was actually going on behind the scenes. This culminating skepticism was corroborated when fans heard of the studio’s intense, mandatory crunch schedule, something CDPR had denied would be a reality about a year prior to implementing it.
Then, review copies were sent out to media folks and the like. Or rather, they were supposed to, but many publications reported that they had not received codes until about five days beforeCyberpunk 2077’s scheduled release date, an oddity for massive open-world games presumed to be dozens of hours in length. When sites and other professionals in the gaming industry finally did receive those review codes, they were only on PC. This heightened suspicions even further; after all, ifCyberpunk 2077’s performance was “surprisingly good” on last-gen consoles, according to CEO Adam Kacinski just weeks before, then it was curious why the studio didn’t ship any PS4 or Xbox One copies to reviewers.
The motive behind this decision became clear afterCyberpunk 2077’s disastrous launch, with some of the worst reception being that some weren’t able to play the game on last-gen consoles at all. For those that were,Cyberpunkwould crash, fail to render textures like the faces of NPCs, and see drastic dips in frame rates, and the bugs ruined the game.
But the cycle continued, and CDPR enacted a messy plan tofully refundCyberpunk 2077players, but this went against PlayStation’s refund policy, resulting in the long-term removal of the game from Sony’s online storefront.
The point here is thatCD Projekt Red has a reputation for a lack of transparencyand handled the aftermath poorly. It’s worth mentioning that the developer has since stated that it’ll take its marketing more seriously and ensure that this doesn’t happen again in the future. However, if it fails to deliver DLC on time and delays it just like what happened withCyberpunk 2077, the gaming community could lose all hope for future projects from the developer.
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The Effects of CD Projekt Red Failing to Meet Expectations
After launch and the terrible reception that came with it, CDPR had no choice but to promise it would work to solve the issues presented by last-gen consoles, ultimately meaning it had to put off DLCs and native next-gen ports untilCyberpunk 2077was in a playable state for its current platforms. The development studioannounced a roadmap forCyberpunk 2077, which, while pretty vague, has lived up to so far.
However, fans are once again concerned aboutCyberpunk 2077and its current state of development.Patch 1.31 released a month ago, but CDPR has been radio silent since. Luckily, some savvy fans have been able to dig up hints towards content possibly scheduled to release with the free DLC such as New Game+ as well as the next-gen versions, but no official word has come from the development studio itself. This is concerning as there are only two and a half months left in the year. While CDPR could simply drop the DLC and announce it at the same time, and perhaps it has plans to release the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions onCyberpunk’s anniversary, its current practice echoes the same nontransparent marketing tactics that partially landed it in hot water in the first place.
Cyberpunk 2077won’t be the end of the development studio.CD Projekt Red has been spotting hiring for a new open-world game, and it’s unlikely the project is at all related toCyberpunk 2077. This means the developer is looking ahead, despite the lawsuits aroundCyberpunkit currently faces. But if it continuously fails to meet expectations, especially those it’s setting for itself, not just in terms of release dates but the quality of its games, trust from the gaming community will continue to dwindle. Sure, there will likely always be fans, especially those accrued through the astoundingWitcher 3, waiting in wake for the studio’s next game, eager to play it. But CDPR’s reputation has changed because ofCyberpunk 2077, and it will only get worse unless it fulfills its promises.
Cyberpunk 2077is available on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions currently in development.
