How CDPR Turned Cyberpunk Around

But, as we all know, the launch was a disaster. Expectations were sky high.. people dreamed of living in Night City and being fully emerged in it, but instead got bugs, limited options and a far more restricted experience than expected. Refunds were widespread and financially it was a mess for CD Project Red (its stock dropped 40%), who were hit with massive criticism. The game was even pulled from the Playstation Store and it had a 1.6/10 metacritic store :x

Then something rare happened; they actually listened! Not to the noise, but to the right feedback. They put their heads down and rebuilt. Patches were released, the game improved and people returned (I think it was 1.2 and 2.1 which really turned things around). Maybe expectations shifted or maybe the anger cooled, but the game seemed back on its feet.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners dropped and changed everything. It brought emotion, character, and story to the world. It again showed how powerful transmedia can be when it’s done right, like I discussed in a post on Marvel Rivals recently.

Then came Phantom Liberty, a DLC that hit the right tone, style, and brought a new layer of depth with the spy-style gameplay. Reviews were glowing and fans were back and Night City felt truly alive.

The game is now healthier than ever. An active modding community is keeping it going. I recently rewatched Ghost in the Shell (the original 1995 one, mind you) and Stand Alone Complex, which made me jump straight back into Cyberpunk. This time modded out to match the GITS world and it pulled me in for another 40 hours.

There are still teases of additional content (surprise patches keep dropping), even though Project CD Red said they were done with the game, conspiracy theories about Mr Blue Eyes run wild and the hype for Project Orion is real.

There’s a big lesson here: redemption is possible. If you listen, learn, build and empower your community, you can turn failure into something great. While Cyberpunk wasn’t what we had hoped for at launch, CD Project Red turned it around and made it an unforgettable game for millions of players.