UPDATE: CD Projekt have confirmed the game is returning to the PlayStation Store along with its reinstatement date, in an investor’s report.
“In relation to Current Report no. 66/2020 of 18 December 2020, the Management Board of CD PROJEKT S.A. with a registered office in Warsaw hereby publicly discloses the decision by Sony Interactive Entertainment to reinstate the availability of the digital edition of Cyberpunk 2077 on PlayStation Store, effective on 21 June 2021.”
Original Story:
The infamous Cyberpunk 2077 has reappeared on the PlayStation Store, after being removed due to massive issues with the game in late 2020.
IGN reports that the game has now re-surfaced on the PlayStation Store. Those who already own the game can re-download it, while everyone else can only wishlist it for now. A “re-release date” has not been announced at this time. Former Kotaku editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo claims that CD Projekt Red has stated the game will be available on the store on June 21st.
CD Projekt has had months of negative press thank to the game; numerous delays and leaked footage were not the end of the woes. One reviewer suffered a major epileptic seizure, and accused the developer on basing the Braindance headset off a medical device designed to induce seizures for diagnosis.
Despite high praise from initial reviews, users complained of Cyberpunk 2077‘s numerous glitches and bugs; along with poor optimization, and the console version having inferior graphics and more bugs. Even critic reviews that praised the game also discussed those issues.
CD Projekt Red stock value dropped by 29% in a week after the game launched. CD Projekt Red apologized for the game’s advertising and launch, and offered full refunds. However, two lawsuits were launched by investors- one in Poland also being an attorney. Recently, four class action lawsuits against the game consolidated for potential common court proceedings.
Both Sony and Microsoft stated they would offer full refunds for the game. Sony would remove the game from the PlayStation Store, but there were “no talks” of Microsoft removing it from theirs.
The company also shared their “Commitment to Quality” agenda, and FAQ trying to explain how the issues came about. The Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) is also monitoring CD Projekt.
In a “Strategy Update for investors,” Adam Kicinsk, President and Joint CEO of Projekt Red, explained the companies’ future plans for growth, and changes. This included announcing the cancellation of the game’s stand-alone multiplayer, and future marketing and PR campaigns being closer to the game’s launch.
In spite of all this and the founders of developer CD Projekt Red predicted to have lost $1 billion USD; Cyberpunk 2077 sold 13.7 million units in 2020. Further, only 1.6% of Cyberpunk 2077 copies were refunded, with current and predicted future refunds only affecting 9% of CD Projekt’s total game revenue in 2020. While CD Projekt saw 65% drop in profits year-over-year, they had a 2% rise in sales in Q1.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available on Windows PC (via Epic Games, GOG, and Steam), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. The game is also coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2021, and players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One respectively will be able to upgrade to the next-gen for free.
