There have been a few memorable video game launches in recent years, some for good reasons, and some for bad ones. One of the most notorious recent examples was CD Projekt Red's highly-anticipated sci-fi RPG Cyberpunk 2077. First announced in early 2012, players had to wait another eight years before they could actually play Cyberpunk 2077, and this contributed to a myriad of problems with the game's marketing, development, and release that created a perfect storm of player disappointment.
No game is going to please everyone, but there are definitely steps that developers can take to ensure titles tick as many boxes as possible in order to secure their success, and some are as basic as making sure a game is finished before it hits stores. Cyberpunk 2077 fell into the same trap as many ambitious releases, and promised more than it was able to deliver. This, alongside the buggy mess that players were finally able to get their hands on, made fans particularly vitriolic in their censure of the title.
The Cost To The Company
Not only did the disastrous launch ruin the reputation of Cyberpunk 2077 and stained its subsequent success, but it also had other far-reaching consequences as well. Before its release, CD Projekt Red was riding high on the popularity of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and its well received DLCs. The game was critically acclaimed, with particular praise focusing on the masterful Blood and Wine expansion. However, Cyberpunk 2077's release and the issues and controversies that surrounded it have had an impact on the trust players have for the developer, overturning a lot of goodwill that it had previously earned.
This will affect any future releases, even ones within the immensely popular Witcher franchise. According to recent reports, CD Projekt's stock has fallen by more than 75% since the release of Cyberpunk 2077, which will have a massive impact on the studio moving forward. Not only has it lost the trust of gamers, but investors might think twice before handing money over to the developer as well given the reception of Cyberpunk 2077 - all of which will have a knock on effect for subsequent games.
What This Means For Future Games
Some may say that there are a few lessons to be learned from Cyberpunk 2077's release, like not over-promising on features before a game launches and being more upfront with marketing campaigns. There have been plenty of recent examples where games have shipped in broken and incomplete states, simply because of pressure from higher-ups and from gamers to deliver on launch dates and avoid delays. Cyberpunk 2077 clearly experienced these issues, but CD Projekt Red has also worked incredibly hard to rectify a lot of these mistakes over the intervening years.
Cyberpunk 2077 is definitely a much better game now than when it first launched, but unfortunately many believe that the trust has already been broken. Whatever CD Projekt Red's next game is, which is most likely the next entry in the Witcher franchise, it might have its work cut out for it to convince players that its worth buying at launch. CD Projekt Red's reputation has been irrevocably tainted, as it went from a respected and popular studio to a cautionary tale for other developers.
The fate of Cyberpunk 2077 may also make the developer think twice before it pursues any new projects outside of the Witcher games, which would be a shame for both the studio and gamers in general. There are clearly very talented people working at CD Projekt Red, and while Cyberpunk 2077's first few months may have been incredibly rocky, it's still an ambitious, entertaining, and unique game. The repercussions of its release may be felt for a long time yet, but hopefully CD Projekt Red can turn things around like it eventually did with Cyberpunk 2077's fortunes.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.