CD Projekt RED reflects on the problematic launch of Cyberpunk 2077 talking about the harsh criticism it got and more.
CDPR Believes Cyberpunk 2077 Deserved Much Better
CDPR’s Comms Boss Michał Platkow-Gilewski told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes the game deserved a better reception than the one it received. He also suggested that some people jumped on the bandwagon to criticize because it was fashionable to do so.
“I actually believe Cyberpunk on launch was way better than it was received, and even the first reviews were positive,” he said. “Then it became a cool thing not to like it. We went from hero to zero really fast.
“That was the tough moment. We didn’t know what was happening. We knew that the game is great, yes we can improve it, yes we need to take time to do it, and we need to rebuild some stuff. That took us a lot of time, but I don’t believe we were ever broken. We were always like: Let’s do this.”
Phantom Liberty is the Key
Platkow-Gilewsk’s job was to oversee the studio contact with players, media and influencers. He does hope that the upcoming DLC Phantom Liberty will rebuild the trust that has been lost with some of the company’s fans.
“I was personally not happy with how things turned out. I was not expecting that,” he said. “I knew immediately that we had to come back. I liked the spot we were in. I’m not talking about the peak of hype, but two years before that, we had our community, we liked them, they liked us, it was awesome to work at CD Projekt Red.
“After the release it was tough, but I knew that we had the same people. The gamers are the same… we just need to fix our relationship. The only thing we can truly do is just deliver what we are capable of. I have a feeling that soon we will be able to do that and hopefully that will be a new beginning for everyone.”
The Change Needed for Cyberpunk 2077
According to various sources, Phantom Liberty will totally overhaul Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay mechanics, which makes fans happy that there will be big changes to the game. Hopefully, these changes will finally make players trust CDPR again. While Cyberpunk 2077 is now playable with the latest updates, Phantom Liberty might be the clincher that will attract more players this time.