Everything Wrong with Cyberpunk 2077 Early Rollout
After waiting 8 years for the most anticipated game of the century. The early December 2020 rollout was anything a passionate gamer wanted after a long wait and multiple demos which left everyone wowed. Little did we know that things were going downhill since the beginning, from the framework to the planning and execution of a potential record-breaking game of the era.
Before the December 10 release of Cyberpunk 2077, it was initially sent out for trials and testing on PCs. And so far, apart from some minor bugs, it performed well. The real chaos began upon the official release across all mediums which included gaming consoles as well. And it’s safe to say, it was disastrous.
Not only was the game bug-ridden, but it also lacked major technical features that were otherwise promised upon the initial demo, further becoming a disappointment for customers who waited 8 long years and spent $60 to get their hands on this game, only to find it lagging with confusing dialogues and missing features.
After a rather disastrous release, CD Projekt’s co-founder Marcin Iwinski issued a statement that stated the probable cause behind the ill-fated Cyberpunk 2077 and what measures were taking place to resolve the issue.
But before that, let us list down all the shortcomings of the game which broke numerous hearts and enforced an investor lawsuit against the company and a 30% drop in the company’s share since the December 10 release.
The bug-ridden game had numerous performance issues, which were a result of poor management skills and an unrealistic set of expectations. Moreover, the unrealistic timeline to release the game way ahead of its time causes numerous employees to take up overtime ranging up to 13+ hours of work 5 days a week.
Despite considerable good reviews in the initial days, the real problems began when users began playing it via their gaming consoles from previous generations. The performance was so appalling that Sony took the game off of their PlayStation store and offered refunds to its customers. Meanwhile, Microsoft Corp. has issued a warning on the game along the lines “may experience performance issues on Xbox One until the game is updated.”
The lack of performance on an older generation Xbox or PlayStation was put on the excessive details of the game’s city, which challenged the disk bandwidth of the consoles. According to Iwiński, the issue did not arise during testing, but the developers had another story to tell. They claimed that issues were very much visible even during trial phases, they just did not have the time to fix anything at the point with the release date luring above their heads.
Unlike CD Projekt’s previous success The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077 was developed in a completely different framework that lacked a third-person view of the game. The game was based on the first-person camera which many users did not welcome. To edit the entire framework based on this requirement, the understaffed CD Projekts must invest in an overall new department altogether.
It is true that the company initially thrived upon the “We’ll figure it out along the way” ideology, but this time it backfired when new techniques and technology were in action simultaneously along with the game development. This took developers even more time to set the rhythm in the game and there was too much going on at the same time, setting their calendar further back.
Furthermore, there were several falling outs in the studio as a difference in opinions amongst the Director and the top staff could not come to a conclusion as to how things would run regarding Cyberpunk 2077.
In 2018, during an Xbox event in Los Angeles, a chunk of Cyberpunk 2077 made an appearance that tempted and enhanced the anticipation of the customers. But it only caused more setbacks in the development of the game itself. The grandeur and vibe of the game were luxurious, but it was a hoax and a waste of time according to some of the team members.
The first official release date of April 16, 2020, was revealed during E3 June 2019, which seemed like a marketing tactic as the developing team gave an estimate of 2022 for a fully functional and well-made game. But the word was out, and the team members had to cut-down on extensive features of the detailed city and the game.
The somewhat final nail to the coffin was Covid, which sent the nearly 500+ staff members working on the game in isolation or work from home. Despite the huge number, CD Projekts was still understaffed, and unlike successful games of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption II which employed thousands of people and held multiple offices upon the development of the game.
Despite the low staff count, there was severe mismanagement due to most of them working from home without proper equipment for work or testing out the features of the game on Xbox or PS4, that is what set them back was their inability to function on the older generation consoles.
It may seem appalling since these consoles can handle VOD streaming platforms like Disney Plus and Netflix along with video games fairly well as Xbox and PlayStation 4 are multi-functional consoles. But Cyberpunk 2077 was made solely for the new generation consoles which are still limited in the market or sold at high prices.
Nonetheless, the glitches and bugs are getting their rightful fix, but how long it takes for Sony to bring back the game on their PlayStation store is still unknown, as it was an unprecedented measure, to begin with. But for now, you can either use your beloved old generation Xbox and PS4 consoles for other games or for streaming-related activities as reported by ScreenBinge.
It was a rough start to the year for Cyberpunk 2077 and CD Projekt, but various other video games like No Man’s Sky, a space simulator; Final Fantasy XIV, an online roleplaying game; and Destiny, a multiplayer shooter, have regained their customer base back once they reappeared in the market after improvements. And so far, CD Projekt has made improvement in the stock market with an increase of 6%