What happened to Cyberpunk 2077?

Cyberpunk 2077 is an action role-playing video game that was first released in December 2020.

The game was announced as early as 2012 and developed by Polish game studio CD Projekt.

The game is set in a dystopian future where part-human, part-machine mercenaries sabotage missions against evil corporations.

The buzz around the release of Cyberpunk 2077 was incredible.

The game attracted some 8 million pre-orders, and actor Keanu Reeves was also cast as the main character.

In the lead-up to its release, CD Projekt kept the game under wraps and only shared copies with select news outlets and gaming publications.

Ultimately, Cyberpunk 2077 failed to match the significant expectations the company built over almost a decade.

Let’s look at the story of what happened to the game below.

Aspect	Description
Development and Hype	“Cyberpunk 2077” was highly anticipated, with a development period spanning several years by CD Projekt Red. It garnered immense attention due to its ambitious open-world design, cyberpunk aesthetic, and the involvement of Keanu Reeves as a prominent character. Expectations were set exceptionally high.
Initial Release	The game was released in December 2020 for multiple platforms, including PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Stadia. It received mixed reviews, with praise for its storytelling and criticism for numerous technical issues, particularly on last-gen consoles.
Technical Issues	“Cyberpunk 2077” faced severe technical problems on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, including frequent crashes, graphical glitches, and low frame rates. CD Projekt Red faced backlash for not delivering a polished experience on these platforms.
Refunds and Apologies	The technical issues led to a wave of refund requests, prompting Sony to temporarily remove the game from the PlayStation Store. CD Projekt Red issued public apologies and offered refunds, acknowledging its shortcomings.
Fixing the Game	CD Projekt Red embarked on a series of patches and updates to address the technical issues. The company aimed to bring the game to an acceptable level of performance on all platforms.
Long-Term Plans	CD Projekt Red revealed plans to continue supporting “Cyberpunk 2077” with post-launch content and expansions, aiming to fulfill the game’s potential and regain player trust.
Legal and Financial Impact	The technical issues and refunds had a significant financial impact on CD Projekt Red, resulting in a drop in the company’s stock price and potential legal consequences.
Communication and Transparency	The studio improved its communication with players and shared detailed roadmaps for fixing the game. It aimed to rebuild trust through transparency about its development efforts.
Next-Gen Updates	CD Projekt Red announced plans to release next-gen updates for the game, aiming to fully utilize the capabilities of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X
Community Perception	“Cyberpunk 2077” continued to have a passionate player base, but trust in CD Projekt Red was significantly eroded due to the troubled launch. Player perception remained mixed.
Ongoing Development	CD Projekt Red remained committed to improving “Cyberpunk 2077” through ongoing updates and enhancements, with the goal of fulfilling its initial promise.
Future Prospects	The game’s future was uncertain, with CD Projekt Red aiming to restore its reputation and player trust while delivering a more polished and enjoyable experience on all platforms.

Table of Contents

Internal conflict and hype

Game developers were concerned that the grand promises made by management would not be achievable.

Indeed, the endlessly explorable world coupled with ultra-customizable characters meant the premise sold to gamers was far from becoming a reality.

The game was intended to be released in April 2019, but there were persistent rumors in Poland that the company was behind schedule.

Several top executives departed around the same time, while many others took to the business review site Glassdoor to voice their frustrations.

There, it was revealed that CD Projekt suffered from frequently missed deadlines, toxic workplace culture, incompetence, and a lack of planning.

Unsurprisingly, the release date was pushed back to January 2020.

It was then delayed again to September 2020 due to COVID-19 and two more times to the end of the year after the company admitted it had a lot of bugs to fix.

Performance issues

After almost a decade of hype, Cyberpunk 2077 was released on December 10, 2020.

However, several performance issues were already evident.

Artificial intelligence used in combat was anything but intelligent and random bugs blocked players out of missions.

Furthermore, the mechanics were infantile and not what developers had initially promised.

Users could not get their characters to perform basic tasks such as running, driving, or picking up weapons.

These issues attracted widespread public criticism, with consumers blaming investors for the rushed release and lamenting that the game was incompatible with older consoles.

They also created social media videos on the multitude of sometimes hilarious glitches in the game, including tanks falling from the sky or cars exploding into flames for no apparent reason.

In response to the disaster, Sony and Microsoft offered full refunds, with the former making the drastic decision to remove the game from the PlayStation store.

Long employee hours

Around the same time, The Guardian also noted the irony of a game exploring the pitfalls of capitalism developed by a company forcing its employees to work six or 7-day weeks for more than a year.

While the so-called practice of “crunching” is common in the industry, CD Projekt co-founder Marcin Iwiński made specific mention of the fact that the company would be more “humane” than its competitors.

In an interview with gamer website Kotaku, he explained that “We are known for treating gamers with respect. And I actually would [like] for us to also be known for treating developers with respect.”

However, the company later admitted it required employees to crunch for an extended period as the release date was pushed back on several occasions.

Improvements

In 2021, numerous updates were released to improve stability and performance. However, issues remain on certain platforms.

Cyberpunk 2077 reappeared in the PlayStation store in June 2021 and many are optimistic the game can realize its full potential.

This potential was to some extent vindicated when the game won the “Outstanding Story-Rich Game” category at the 2021 Steam Awards.

Key takeaways:

Cyberpunk 2077 is an action role-playing video game that was first released in December 2020. The game, which had been announced as early as 2012, was developed by Polish game studio CD Projekt.
Cyberpunk 2077 was plagued with comical and not-so-comical performance issues, drawing widespread criticism from consumers and investors. Some publications questioned the contradiction between the game’s anti-capitalist themes and its tendency to force employees to work long hours.
Numerous updates were made to Cyberpunk 2077 in 2021, but some issues remain. Nevertheless, the game was credited at the 2021 Steam Awards and has re-appeared in the PlayStation store.

Quick Timeline

Cyberpunk 2077 is an action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt, set in a dystopian future where part-human, part-machine mercenaries sabotage missions against evil corporations.
The game was announced in 2012 and garnered incredible buzz leading up to its release in December 2020. It attracted 8 million pre-orders and featured actor Keanu Reeves as the main character.
Internal conflicts and management’s grand promises led to persistent delays in the game’s release. Persistent rumors about missed deadlines and toxic workplace culture emerged, and top executives departed.
The game faced significant performance issues upon release, with AI problems, bugs, and mechanics that did not meet initial promises. Consumers and investors criticized the rushed release and incompatibility with older consoles.
Sony and Microsoft offered full refunds, and Sony removed the game from the PlayStation store due to the issues.
CD Projekt’s “crunching” practice, forcing employees to work long hours, drew attention and questions about the contradiction between the game’s anti-capitalist themes and employee treatment.
The company released numerous updates in 2021 to address stability and performance issues, but some problems persist.
Cyberpunk 2077 won the “Outstanding Story-Rich Game” category at the 2021 Steam Awards and reappeared in the PlayStation store, showing potential for improvement.

Year	Event
2012	CD Projekt announces the development of Cyberpunk 2077, an action role-playing video game set in a dystopian future, garnering significant anticipation.
2012-2020	The development of Cyberpunk 2077 spans several years, marked by persistent delays, internal conflicts, and management’s grand promises.
2020	Cyberpunk 2077 is released in December, facing significant performance issues, including AI problems, bugs, and mechanics that don’t meet initial promises.
2020	Sony and Microsoft offer full refunds for Cyberpunk 2077, and Sony removes the game from the PlayStation store due to compatibility issues.
2020	CD Projekt faces criticism for its “crunching” practice, forcing employees to work long hours, leading to questions about the contradiction with the game’s themes.
2021	Numerous updates are released to address stability and performance issues, but some problems persist.
2021	Cyberpunk 2077 wins the “Outstanding Story-Rich Game” category at the 2021 Steam Awards, and reappears in the PlayStation store, showing potential for improvement.