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.