It's understandable that many are still upset with the recent release of what was supposed to be the biggest AAA game of the decade. Cyberpunk 2077 will forever be known for it's rushed launch and the aftermath that has ensued. CD Projekt Red may never fully recover the stellar reputation they'd earned with games that are considered masterpieces like The Witcher 3, and this potentially perpetual uphill battle is a plight of their own making. While time will tell if they can turn this failure to meet the hype surrounding their game into a tale of redemption, there's a way that Cyberpunk 2077 could have avoided all of the issues it's run into since its announcement in 2012.
As a movie, Cyberpunk 2077 could have doubled down on its strongest points and avoided many of the pitfalls that arose throughout its troubled development. It also would have been able to better capitalize upon its marketing efforts. In order to understand exactly how this change would have benefited the property as well as the developers, it's important to look back over the past 8 years and understand the struggles that those who worked on the game went through.
According to an in-depth report from Bloomberg that included information collected from interviews with over 20 former and current staff members of CD Projekt Red, the investigation recounts a tale of overwrought ambitions, uncoordinated development teams, and pure, unadulterated greed at the highest levels of the company. There are a few key points that particularly stand out along this development process.
When the original announcement for the game was made, CD Projekt Red made a big show about it, inviting press and getting the hype train rolling with lofty promises. The game hadn't even started development at this point though, and the company was still a few years out from releasing The Witcher 3. On top of that, the studio planned for Cyberpunk 2077 to have a first-person perspective, a change from The Witcher 3's 3rd-person gameplay, requiring a completely new approach to development. This shift in perspective and the planned size of the game essentially meant that the game was going to be more technically challenging than The Witcher 3 with essentially the same amount of time to make it. CD Projekt Red's "We'll figure it out along the way," attitude toward the game would not work for them as it had in the past.
Further complications arose when the game's development was essentially reset in 2016, changing course for much of the game's design and story elements. Teams were also disjointed due to studio demands to have a demo ready for presentation at E3 2018, with those interviewed stating that the actual development of the game was taking a backseat to this demo as well as the marketing around the game. Still, CD Projekt Red pushed forward with a 2020 release date.
Cyberpunk 2077 has a massive, sprawling city to explore with detailed graphics and many moving elements like crowds of people. Despite concerns that the game would not run well on PS4 and Xbox One, the studio wished to "double-dip" on it's sales by having the game release on 7 year old consoles and then selling an updated version with the release of next-gen consoles. This did not allow the teams enough time to resolve the many bugs that were still being found within the game. Eventually time ran out, and the game was released in a state that mostly ran okay with quite a few bugs on PC, while having even worse performance on console versions.
This isn't to say that the game is totally without any merit. Many people have still completed the entire game despite bugs, even on systems like PS4. The issue is more with the fact that the game wasn't the experience that was originally promised; it's essentially false advertising. This mismanagement of time could have been avoided and the marketing for the property still could have been completely truthful were Cyberpunk 2077 made as a movie instead.
Instead of creating a player character, Keanu Reeves could have become the true star of such a film. The story elements surrounding Johnny Silverhand are interesting, and they do lead to some great plot points. Plus, people simply love Keanu, he's a genuinely nice person and almost a guaranteed box office success. The setting of Night City is an absolute beauty to behold, especially on high-performance PCs. Trading in the first-person perspective for sweeping camera angles, bright neon lights, and all of the futuristic body enhancements/augmentations would have made for a visual feast on screen. Best of all, this visual splendor would only enhance a movie, not slow it down or force it to drop in frame rate.
The amount of time needed to make a movie is far less than that of a game and typically involves much smaller teams than a AAA title. Titles like Grand Theft Auto are typically worked on by thousands of people. By contrast, Cyberpunk 2077 suffered much of its crunch by only having around 500 developers working on it. It would basically be like trimming the fat. Many players are finding certain side quests that they enjoy quite a bit. By taking the main plot of the game and weaving in elements of some of these stronger side stories and missions could have resulted in a movie that's constantly giving audiences something new they didn't notice before on subsequent viewings.
A Cyberpunk 2077 movie could have presented audiences with thought-provoking questions, especially in an age that seems like precursor to the setting it presents. There's some heady sci-fi and philosophical questions that are in the game that could be better focused in movie format (or multiple movies for that matter). It's arguable that perhaps a movie would not have been as profitable as a game, especially with video games being the largest form of media available today. However, one must also take into account the reputation that comes with what can be considered a failure to launch.
Gamers may not trust CD Projekt Red the next time they make lofty promises, and that may translate into future sales suffering as a result. When it comes to keeping promises, perhaps they would have fared better with a movie as well. The world now waits as Cyberpunk 2077 tries to turn the tides and change their fortunes.