“Cyberpunk 2077” was arguably the most anticipated video game title for the last 6 to 7 years. Its developer, CD Projekt Red, is beloved by fans for its quality game adaptations of The Witcher novels. And in a time when other AAA game publishers use manipulative online monetization tactics (i.e. random chance lootboxes, experience point boosters to compensate for deliberately slowed character progression, overpriced in-game items), CD Projekt Red was revered for not engaging in them.
Unfortunately, the release of Cyberpunk 2077 this month has been a calamity, because it is so advanced it can only run on next generation consoles and high end PC’s. The versions released on Playstation 4 and XBox One (systems that are many years old) are buggy and unfinished. In this YouTube video by The Quartering, channel host Jeremy reports how Sony and Microsoft are refunding digital downloads of the title, how the development staff at CD Projekt Red have confronted the company’s board for mismanagement, and how the company’s stock is sliding fast.