It took CD Projekt (Polish videogame publisher), a staggering number of years to come out with Cyberpunk 2077. A lot of expectations and hype was building up in the fans through those eight years. Which asked for some mind-blowing appeasement. The creators had after all come up with a raging success like The Witcher games, and fans would settle for no less. Unfortunately, the long-awaited launch finally occurring in December 2020, most certainly missed the mark.
Preceding the launch had been eight years of promotional hype created by the company. There were teasers which revealed the phenomenal Keanu Reeves lending his face and voice to one of the characters. Fans were going insane and even those who did not know about the game previously were hooked from there.
Everything from a steady trickle of ads and hints to merchandise and exclusive items like Cyberpunk 2077 Samurai Jacket was preparing the stage for the release. However, the finished project seemed like a botched incomplete job that disappointed its buyers. Let us look at some of the reasons which made Cyberpunk such a huge source of dissatisfaction.
Playability issues on older consoles
For users of fully geared gaming, PC Cyberpunk 2077 has delivered almost as much as it promised. Therefore, they might not have many complaints. But the story is different where older game consoles are concerned. The game proved such a hassle to play on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 that consumers were outraged. The situation was so dire that companies were forced to offer refunds to their angry customer. As an extreme step to pacify their buyers, the game was taken down from Sony’s online store. CD Projekt itself had to offer an apology along with refunds.
Allegations of misleading the buyers
CD Projekt was already on walking on a tight rope after the release of the game. With both Microsoft and Sony pulling the game off their stores their reputation was in shambles.
The investors were frustrated over this failure as much as the consumers. But the company quickly tried to do damage control with offering refunds. They further promised to work on bringing the game back in Playstation stores.
A considerable blow came when OpenCritic, a game ranking website accused the game of being deliberately misrepresented to buyers. They said that prior to its release only PC versions were available for the reviewers to play. The game was being played on high-end computer systems which showed no bugs.
The visuals are like Nintendo 64 game
Gamer Patrick Swift eagerly bought a copy of Cyberpunk 2077 to play on his Xbox. In his review to Radio 1, Newsbeat Swift commented on how his excitement was dampened. The first thing he noticed was that it looked like a Nintendo 64 game. This came as a shock which was quickly followed by an even greater one. As the game crashed ten minutes into play. Patrick Swift was one among many players who had an extremely underwhelming experience with the game.
Future promises look bleak
CD Projekt Red has tried to make up for the anguish it caused fans by apologizing. They have further commented that they should have given more attention to making it playable for PlayStation4 and Xbox One.
An announcement is made for two patches being released in January and February 2021. But what is most discouraging is that they don’t even seem too hopeful. CD Projekt clarifies ahead that the game will still not be up to the same standards for last-gen consoles. All they can assure us that the experience will be closer to what it is on high-end systems. And there will still be players who wouldn’t get the gameplay they have been expecting.
Bugs and crashes
Although the experience has been varied for players from platform to platform, the bugs are a prominent issue. 26-year-old gamer John Perry has been playing the game on PS5 and claims it a buggy mess. The game crashed 30 times while playing which had him return to the gray screen. The only solution he could think of was to ask a refund.
The game’s release was pressuring
Game developers who are said to work for 100 hours a week on completing Cyberpunk received a lot of backlashes. The disappointing release created toxicity among the fans who invested their time and money in the game. Not to mention the eight-year-long wait. Consumers who pre-ordered the gap during that period were frustrated about the delay. There was pressure to live up to the hype and deliver more than the customer’s expectations. This can be one of the causes which made the launch so chaotic.
Bringing out big games is complex
Cyberpunk has proven that creating games with such a huge number of elements involved is very difficult. The rewards are great if it turns out successful, but it is a majorly risky business. There is more than one aspect which they need to excel in for rising up to the set standards.
It takes an insane amount of work and talent
To ensure a great gaming experience, it takes much creative instinct and talent. Not to mention time. Time to set up the game for multiple platforms and get reviews and feedback as there are positive reviews of cyberpunk 2077 denim jackets over different platforms. Games with expansive interactive worlds need creativity from various categories. Artists, composers, designers, and software engineers all come together to create an impressive open-world game. However, it is not easy to always come up with the best of these skills.
Being a new franchise
In the gaming industry, competing against the franchises that are already tried and tested is extremely tough. Especially with such a bumpy launch. It was probably a major risk that the publishers took. Which cost them hundreds of millions of dollars. Even if the bugs are somehow fixed in the future, the initial release hitches have given it a bad name.
Sometimes its better to delay
The game was being delayed for quite a long time, but it still wasn’t ready for a release even yet. Cyberpunk can be taken as a lesson by both developers and fans. That patience is needed sometimes to achieve the best results. It is evident with more time and detailed attention the game would have been far more satisfactory than now.
