Cyberpunk 2077 launched in December 2020 with a long list of bugs and glitches, but apparently, that had nothing to do with the RPG’s initial reception, which was hugely negative. In a new interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Michał Platkow-Gilewski, CD Projekt’s VP of PR and communication, explained that Cyberpunk 2077 was only hated on at launch because it was the “cool” thing to do, sharing his belief that the game was actually in a “way better” shape than what the majority of press and early players had been implying. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, the new expansion that requires up to an NVMe SSD, is out on September 26, 2023 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S.
- CD Projekt acknowledges the disappointment surrounding the troubled launch of Cyberpunk 2077.
- The company went through a process of rebuilding and restructuring to address the issues.
- CD Projekt is working on improving the base game and the upcoming expansion, Phantom Liberty.
- Communication is a key area of focus for the company to rebuild the connection with players.
- The company is empowering teams and decentralizing its work structure.
- CD Projekt recognizes the importance of work-life balance and is actively working on improving it.
- CD Projekt is currently working on a number of projects, including a new IP, three Witcher games, and a Cyberpunk sequel, but they are at different stages, and the company is focused on strategic planning.
“I actually believe Cyberpunk on launch was way better than it was received, and even the first reviews were positive,” Platkow-Gilewski said. “Then it became a cool thing not to like it. We went from hero to zero really fast. That was the tough moment. We didn’t know what was happening. We knew that the game is great, yes we can improve it, yes we need to take time to do it, and we need to rebuild some stuff.
From a GamesIndustry.biz report:
Completed under COVID conditions, the company had openly admitted that it needed crunch to get it done. And when it was released, it simply wasn’t ready. The game had numerous performance issues, particularly on PS4 and Xbox One. The media called it shambles and one of the biggest disasters in industry history.
And the worst was to come when PlayStation removed the game from its store. For a developer with the scale and respect of CD Projekt Red, it was a public humiliation.
That was nearly three years ago. Since then, Cyberpunk 2077 is now (I’m told) pretty good. And CD Projekt is back in front of the media to promote the game’s big expansion, Phantom Liberty.
Discussion (11 replies)
Join Discussion →Only? No. There was definitely a bandwagon effect and it got more hate because of it. But we didn't imagine the clothes and hair disappearing from the player character and constant T posing.
Always good to feel better about a game release months later after you finally got it to run decent with multiple patches. It's becoming the norm now.
Immediately after making my first character her tits were going through her shirt. This guy definitely huffs his own farts.
Even with the bugs, the left out (but originally planned) features, it was still a good game. I only saw the occasional T pose and didn't have any of the other issues, aside from some graphical glitches on occasion.
But now this is really a great game. The core game/story is good, but the modding community has fleshed out some features that really bring it to another level. Vehicle combat (which is also coming in the next big patch with the upcoming dlc), and flying vehicles. Those really make it quite cool.
Anyone who hasn't played it, it's definitely worth checking out.
I fail to see the problem.
The game launched in a horrendously unfinished state and it fell well short of the lofty expectations that CDPR's multi-year hype train set for the game. I do think there is an element of truth to what CDPR says but I think the game absolutely deserved most of the criticism it got.
Honestly I don't remember reading that much negative press about the game. Granted I'm not that plugged in lately but I remember hearing about some of the bugs but overall it was fairly well received I thought.
I think it was the hype trains fault. Plus the proclamations of development for 50 years didn't help. I don't know if said proclamations were made by cdpr themselves or just ' people' but next time they need to stop/ deny them. Having things in your focus board, a twinkle in your eye and writing stuff in a napking every 2 years isn't development.
"I actually believe Cyberpunk on launch was way better than it was received, and even the first reviews were positive. Then it became a cool thing not to like it. We went from hero to zero really fast. That was the tough moment. We didn’t know what was happening. We knew that the game is great, yes we can improve it, yes we need to take time to do it, and we need to rebuild some stuff." -Michał Platkow-Gilewski, VP of PR and Communication
Someone has a VERY incorrect memory. The game was broken, buggy, ran like @ss, was missing features, and was just all sorts of f*cked up at launch. People weren't hating on the game for no reason. It wasn't because it was "cool" to hate on it. CDPR was being called out for their sh1tty, lackluster effort.
That is for d4mn sure.
I appreciate it when corporations communicate using slang such as "hated on". It really connects with me as a hip young gamer.
There was an internet bandwagon effect to capitalize on clicks and views for revenue generation, though. Plenty of people were enjoying the game in spite of the launch issues, which were still pointed out, but I believe that it definitely became "cool" to hate on the game. You still see people around the internet talking about issues that haven't been in the game for nearly 2 years at this point, making it obvious that they have never played the game themselves. But the cross-generation console release really didn't help matters.