CD Projekt Red Downplays Cyberpunk 2077 Rough Launch

gameranx.com:

CD Projekt Red was working hard to deliver a new thrilling RPG experience after The Witcher 3. The hype was massive as well, with the development studio known for bringing out deep RPGs, and over the years, we continued to watch for marketing materials to highlight a bit more of what Cyberpunk 2077 offered. Fans couldn’t wait to get their hands on the game, but each time we approached its release date, the game was pushed back. Then when the delays finally dried up, and CD Projekt Red stuck to a launch date, fans were quick to take shots at just how rough the game build was.

It left the development team scrambling to gather up any bugs they could from the title. But that wasn’t an easy feat. Plenty of issues with the game took the developers years to reach a stable point. We even watched as Sony pulled the game from their digital storefront. Now the dust has settled, Cyberpunk 2077 is readily available again on Sony’s digital storefront, and marketing has been in full swing for the expansion. Recently, Gamesindustry.biz had the chance to speak with Michal Platkow-Gilewski, the VP of PR and communication at CD Projekt Red.

During their conversation, Michal spoke of how the obstacles the developers faced, such as the COVID pandemic, which put developers out of the studio. But besides that, it was a learning experience from Cyberpunk 2077 as the studio reworked internally to avoid crunch going forward. They admitted how tough it was to see the game launch and how they needed to fix their relationship with gamers. 

It’s not the best moment for that. Everyone was waiting for the release. These changes would have happened anyway, but [the Cyberpunk situation] was another motivation. It was a wake-up call, to say let’s rebuild,