It's no secret that Cyberpunk 2077 had a rocky launch. The game had major performance issues on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and had plenty of other issues with bugs on the rest of its launch platforms. Now that it's been over five months since the game's initial release, Cyberpunk 2077 is definitely in a more stable place than it was before. However, it's still a leap and then some away from what it was promised to be in the years leading up to release.
While Cyberpunk 2077 studio CD Projekt Red managed to deliver on some of its promises, the list of features cut from the game arguably far outweighed the ones that made it in. The studio promised that all future updates and DLC would be made free to make up for the launch issues, which mean's the game's first free expansion is going to need to go big. CDPR has seen one controversy after the next since release, but the upcoming DLC might be the studio's chance to win back public perception.
Making Good on Cyberpunk 2077's Promises
In order to win people back, CD Projekt Red needs to really nail the first Cyberpunk DLC. Back when it came out, plenty of attention was spent focusing on the immersion or game-breaking bugs that the launch was plagued with. As more and more patches and updates come to Cyberpunk 2077, those issues are starting to be sorted out. With a game world as big as Cyberpunk's Night City, a bug here and there is to be expected. CD Projekt should deliver DLC that's as polished as possible because of the aforementioned bugs in the initial version of the game. A fantastic expansion where the conversation isn't derailed by bugs would be ideal for Cyberpunk 2077.
While an abundance of bugs and lack of polish on a surface level hurt Cyberpunk 2077's reputation, the lack of meaningful choices and storytelling depth also didn't sit well with some. This isn't to say that Cyberpunk 2077 didn't have any alternative mission options or deep storytelling, it's just that the level of choice and player agency was significantly lower than expected. No matter which lifepath players chose or class they spec'd in, most situations were only limited to one or two options. DLC content could make good on the promises CD Projekt made; meaningful character progression and interesting missions with a wide variety of approaches.
CD Projekt Red Redeemed the Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077 is Next
This isn't the first time the studio won people back, but just how many times it's able to regain that public support remains to be seen. When The Witcher 3 initially released, it was also full of bugs and issues that CD Projekt Red needed to address. With subsequent patches and updates, the studio was able to make the game into the experience it was promised to be.
This comparison isn't one to one, however, as the promises made about The Witcher 3 weren't as ambitious as the ones made for Cyberpunk 2077. Additionally, while The Witcher had its fair share of bugs, it didn't have anywhere close to the sheer number of issues Cyberpunk 2077 had. Interior and exterior development problems all culminated into Cyberpunk 2077's controversial launch, but an excellent DLC expansion in tandem with the game's updates could win fans back.
All in all, if the Cyberpunk 2077 DLC can show players what the game could be given enough time and patches, then it might be one of the main ways for CD Projekt to redeem the game. There's still plenty of work being done on Cyberpunk 2077, and because CD Projekt Red has been relatively radio silent about the DLC, it may be a while before Cyberpunk 2077 returns to the spotlight.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions in development.