CD Projekt Red have apologized for not showing Cyberpunk 2077 running on last-gen consoles, and for the unstable launch; offering refunds.
As previously reported, the games numerous delays and leaked footage were not the end of the woes for CD Projekt Red. One reviewer suffered a major epileptic seizure, and accused the developer on basing the Braindance headset off a medical device designed to intentionally induce seizures.
Despite high praise from initial reviews, the Metacritic user score was far less. Currently the Metascore for the PC version of the game is 90, with a user score of 6.9 (out of 10). Meanwhile, the game’s PlayStation 4 and Xbox One user scores are 2.8 and 3.8 respectively.
It should be noted that those who have not played the game may also be submitting user reviews, as Metacritic does not verify if a user has completed or played a game. In February for example a user of Reset Era orchestrated the review bombing of AI: The Somnium Files.
Metacritic placed a 36 hour grace period on user reviews for video games in July of this year. Metacritic would later insist this decision was not motivated by reactions to any particular game. That year also say low user review scores for Warcraft III: Reforged, and The Last of Us Part II.
Users complained of Cyberpunk 2077‘s numerous glitches and bugs, along with poor optimization and the console version having inferior graphics. Even critic reviews that praised the game also discussed those issues. Since then a hotfix has been released, but CD Projekt Red stock value dropped by 29% in a week.
Now, CD Projekt Red have issued an official apology [1, 2]. Therein they apologize for “not showing” the game running on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. However, at least one prior trailer showed the game running on PlayStation 4 Pro.
Nonetheless, CD Projekt Red admit they “should have paid more attention to making it play better on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.” The developer also states they will continue to fix bugs, and improve graphics on last-gen consoles.
Finally, CD Projekt Red also announce they are accepting refunds for the game. We had previously heard claims of individuals getting refunds on the PlayStation store, though success was not guaranteed. Those needing CD Projekt Red’s direct assistance in refunds can do so until December 21st.
You can find the full statement below.
Dear gamers,
First of all, we would like to start by apologizing to you for not showing the game on base last-gen consoles before it premiered and, in consequence, not allowing you to make a more informed decision about your purchase. We should have paid more attention to making it play better on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Second, we will fix bugs and crashes, and improve the overall experience. The first round of updates has just been released and the next one is coming within the next 7 days. Expect more, as we will update frequently whenever new improvements are ready. After the holidays, we’ll continue working – we’ll release two large patches starting with Patch #1 in January. This will be followed by Patch #2 in February. Together these should fix the most prominent problems gamers are facing on last-gen consoles. We will be informing you about the contents of each patch ahead of their release. They won’t make the game on last-gen look like it’s running on a high-spec PC or next-gen console, but it will be closer to that experience than it is now.
Finally, we would always like everyone who buys our games to be satisfied with their purchase. We would appreciate it if you would give us a chance, but if you are not pleased with the game on your console and don’t want to wait for updates, you can opt to refund your copy. For copies purchased digitally, please use the refund system of PSN or Xbox respectively. For boxed versions, please first try to get a refund at the store where you bought the game. Should this not be possible, please contact us at [email protected] and we will do our best to help you. Starting from today, you can contact us for a week up until December 21st, 2020.
Humbly
Marcin Iwiński, Adam Kiciński, Adam Badowski, Michał Nowakowski, Piotr Nielubowicz, Piotr KarwowskiPS. PC gamers will also be getting regular updates and fixes improving the game.
In spite of all these issues, CD Projekt Red announced on December 11th that Cyberpunk 2077 had exceeded its development and marketing costs with the first day of sales and pre-orders. The game launched on December 10th for Windows PC (via Epic Games, GOG, and Steam), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia; and will launch 2021 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
In other news, Bloomberg report (citing an internal email they obtained) that the developer’s executives “took responsibility” for the state of the game at launch; and told staff they will still be getting full bonuses irrelevant of review scores and despite the game’s numerous delays. However, Bloomberg sources also accused CD Projekt Red crunch, which was later denied by inside sources at CD Projekt Red.
Image: GOG