Cyberpunk 2077, it was without a doubt one of the most anticipated releases of recent years. It is not for less, after this video game adaptation of the board game of the same name, it was CD Projekt Red. The Polish company had marked a before and after for many with its fantastic The Witcher 3. Moreover, everything that was shown on this new adventure seemed to predict what would surely be another success for the company.
Events, demos, and trailers gave us a taste of what a vintage game would look like. In this direction, Cyberpunk 2077 it ended up being, but unfortunately for very different reasons. Throughout this article, we want to review, already cold, everything that has been the evolution of both the video game and the company itself. We must of course criticize the negative points, but we do not want to be unfair and leave the reaction of the study in motion. Today we will expose the whites, blacks and grays of the controversy that engulfed Cyberpunk 2077 since its launch, revived in part by the momentary cancellation of its multiplayer.
Cyberpunk 2077 stands for excessive ‘hype’
Eight years ago, CD Projekt Red made official the existence of a project called Cyberpunk. The prestigious Polish studio, founded in Warsaw in 1994, produced with The Witcher 3, place yourself in a privileged position in the industry. The success of the third installment, again based on the work of Sapkowski, prompted the press and users around the world to praise the good work of the study. While it is true that the witcher game did come with some striking bugs and other issues when it launched, those would ultimately be fixed ASAP. They were already at the top.
After the resounding success of Geralt of Rivia’s latest adventure, the Polish studio was ready with Cyberpunk 2077, to raise the bar even higher. The title, based on the futuristic board game, was a blow that few people expected. It was CD Projekt Red’s new “monster”, a game we all couldn’t wait to see in motion.. Finally, and after a long wait, the trailers and gameplays started popping up with a dropper. Since then, some have even ventured to compare them to Rockstar Games. madness was beginning to break out.
The media, like the players, have rubbed their hands. On the one hand, the studio was releasing more information as the launch approached, and the media was always enthusiastic about everything that was being shown. We already know that Until gambling can be proven, it can be counterproductive to make any kind of prediction. However, they were talking about CD Projekt Red, what could go wrong? The graphics were amazing and its gameplays felt very smooth and advanced. Adam Kiciński himself (executive director) ensured word for word; “we think the level (of errors) will be so low that players won’t see them“. The happy phrase would eventually haunt him for the next few months.
From CD Projekt it was guaranteed that the game would hardly have any bugs, and that these would be invaluable. Already during the last E3 that could take place, there was part of the specialized press that tested it behind closed doors. And we already know that the developers themselves conscientiously choose these demos, which is logical and common in the industry. It’s also striking that the final version of the game would be much more polished than what analysts tested in the preview. In the end, none of that came to fruition, and in fact, it always seemed like the game was more of an “Alpha” release. In this sense, we sin in order not to be careful, but CD Projekt also made a mistake in promising us the moon knowing that it was impossible.
A disastrous launch
We arrive at the moment when the alarms go off. This moment from which all controversies for Polish developers begin. The expected Cyberpunk 2077 It had come to add several delays throughout its launch year, but we would finally have it in our hands in September 2020. But its launch, beyond showing the game’s shortcomings, also highlighted a poor management of the press and of the study itself in relation to analyzes.
Errors occur in two ways. And while it is true that the current pandemic situation has played an important role, we must not fall into the cheap excuse of its permanent use. Even more by seeing how the events unfolded. First of all, we have the problem of codes with CD Projekt Red. The studio was embarrassed to only send game codes in its PC version, the best optimized to date.
On the other side of the controversy, enter those responsible for transferring information to users. While transparency was not CD Projekt’s strong point, I don’t think we can ignore what was lacking in the specialist media either. I’m not talking about any particular medium, and I don’t want to be misunderstood either. This article is reflective and self-critical, seeking to correct these failures for the future. Xbox zone included, more would be missing.
In the first analyzes that we were able to see Cyberpunk 2077, a dance of very high figures was presented (with a dozen in foreign media). A general current considered it approved. Even in console versions, whose codes had been delayed. In our case, unfortunately, not only did the code not arrive, but we made the difficult decision not to post anything about it. With the loss of impact that involved. It was also due to the aura of confusion around Cyberpunk 2077, in which it was difficult to draw conclusions until we had it in our hands. Let’s all take an example so as not to make another mistake in the future.
Once video games hit the stores, the bottom line couldn’t be more negative. That hype that had fed us and the rest of the players for years was fading in the face of harsh reality. The PS4, PS 5, Xbox One S, One X and One “fat” versions suffered the most. Many Bugs (also present in the PC and X / S series) and above all, disastrous performance in terms of frames and crashes. While it is true that in my case it never crashed, the slowdowns, fps drops, and exaggerated grain effect made it an unplayable experience. With the Xbox Series X / S, performance has improved. All thanks to the greater power of the two machines, but the bugs were still there. Just because it’s playable doesn’t mean it’s enjoyable. That is the question.
The fall of the stock market
Accompanying this difficult launch, Polish stocks would suffer a sharp drop in the stock market. An even more collapsed fall after removing the game from the Playstation Store. A decision that has always been surrounded by controversy. Following this decision, the company would see the value of its shares fall to historical rates. And that’s it, ICD Projekt Red stock would fall to values over 45%, a complete setback for a company that had eclipsed the video game world a few years ago. Interestingly, the equipment had reached its maximum market value just before the launch of Cyberpunk.
With this monumental fall, multiple rumors began to appear about a possible takeover of the company by big brands like Microsoft itself. Of course, the Poles, as we know, finally retained their independence. However, Despite everything, the reserve campaign of Cyberpunk It was so powerful that it was only with these sales that the company was already making a profit..
Patches and more patches
With all that, we have reached a point of no return for a game and for a company that had lost all credibility. By this point, the company had come to the fore to apologize and even offer refunds. A very courageous gesture, although it was done without consulting anyone other than themselves. A blow for its distributor Bandai Namco.
With the face given, the team was preparing to feed the game with a huge list of fixes meant to improve the performance of the game and look like what this launch was meant to be at the start. In that sense, the developers were inundated with a whole world of fixes, and they had a lot to fix.. After a few hasty first fixes, the company showed players its roadmap, one that we’re thankfully not used to.. In it, we got to see the arrival of the various fixes and updates that the game would have.
The first weight patches would arrive in the first few bars of the year, with these they would try to make the game as polished as possible, being enjoyable for all players. Later, several free DLCs would arrive that would be the prelude to the Xbox Series update, which we don’t even know if it will be released this year. A long awaited update for gamers. However, while we already have patch 1.2 with us, the company did so by sacrificing one of its promised features; its multiplayer mode.
Broken promises
Months before its release, all gamers knew that Cyberpunk it would have a multiplayer mode. Of course, we had virtually no information on this, although we knew it would take a while to happen. However, the company has once again given its plans a new twist and made a decision that was partly expected, but which appears to be yet another blow to the battered body of Cyberpunk. Stopping the development of multiplayer and attributing it to future sequels is news that never ceases to be painful and reopens the wounds of one of the most disastrous outings in history.
Despite this, if we’re being honest, from here we’d rather sacrifice an arm to lose our mind. And yes, it hurts us like the rest of us to lose the opportunity to enjoy the company of the streets of Night City, but realistically right now we’re just happy to be able to enjoy that experience in. its entirety.. We want to be able to see a Night City alive, without bugs that destroy the fantastic artistic work of the work, without graphic errors that take us out of this interesting conversation we have with Jonnhy Silverhand. In short, we want to see and live the experience Cyberpunk that we should have had months ago. Now that’s all that matters to us.
About the Author
Psychologist who enjoys cooperative games, RPGs and shooting anything that moves.
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