How Cyberpunk 2077 clawed its way back from disaster to complete one of the greatest redemption arcs in gaming history

pcgamer.com:

Cyberpunk 2077 may be the most successful flop of all time. Within weeks of launch, the RPG had sold 13 million copies, even accounting for dissatisfied players refunding the game. It made its eight year budget back in a single day. But those accomplishments couldn't stop Cyberpunk from widely being seen as a disappointment.

It was buggy as hell. The last-gen console version was so bad, it was pulled from sale on PlayStation. It was briefly a particularly dangerous game for players who are prone to seizures. Some investors were so miffed at how CD Projekt Red handled the launch, they filed a class action lawsuit over the share price, which dropped from its high of $31 on December 4, 2020 to only $16 a month later. It's now down to under $9.

CD Projekt's stock price may not have recovered over the last three years, but Cyberpunk 2077 has. In his Phantom Liberty review, associate editor Ted Litchfield called the expansion «a thrilling capstone for Cyberpunk 2077's 3-year redemption arc.» The big 2.0 patch released to everyone for free, meanwhile, completely remakes Cyberpunk's progression system, cyberware, vehicle combat, and police. For the last three years, CD Projekt has seemingly been determined to deliver on the potential Cyberpunk 2077 had, but failed to reach, in December 2020.

Here's how Cyberpunk clawed its way back.

The cyberbest of times, the cyberworst of times: CD Projekt's big follow-up to 2015's The Witcher 3 debuted to mega sales and a mixed critical reception. There were some bombastic 9/10s, but we were cooler on Cyberpunk 2077. In our 78% review, we wrote that it was «a pretty good RPG in an amazing setting absolutely sick with bugs,» highlighting that the open world of Night City was «an incredible