‘Cyberpunk 2077’ PS4 re-release exposes CD Projekt Red’s biggest mistake
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The latest wrinkle in the Cyberpunk 2077 saga reveals a broken promise from CD Projekt Red.
Joseph Yaden
Has any game lost more goodwill faster than Cyberpunk 2077?
Infamous for its troubled launch, onslaught of bugs, and subsequent removal from the PlayStation Store, Cyberpunk 2077 stands in a league of its own.
Now, six months after its initial launch, Cyberpunk 2077 is back on the PlayStation Store, though it comes with a warning label that advises players to avoid playing it on a base PlayStation 4 system.
“Users continue to experience performance issues with this game,” the warning reads. “Purchase for use on PS4 systems is not recommended.”
This is troublesome for many reasons, but the most egregious sheds light on perhaps CD Projekt Red’s single biggest mistake when it came to developing Cyberpunk 2077.
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A tarnished reputation
The previous generation versions of Cyberpunk 2077 are to blame for its troubled development.CD Projekt RED
Before Cyberpunk 2077 was released in December 2020, the game had suffered several delays. On October 27, 2020, it was delayed from November to December, as announced by a lengthy post from CDPR’s Twitter account.
The company explained that part of the game’s development troubles was tied to the previous generation versions of Cyberpunk 2077, which was proving to be a difficult task for the team.
“The biggest challenge for us right now is shipping the game on current-gen, next-gen, and PC at the same time, which requires us to prepare and test 9 versions of it while working from home,” the tweet reads. “Since Cyberpunk 2077 evolved towards almost being a next-gen title somewhere along the way, we need to make sure everything works well and every version runs smoothly.
”
The PS4 version wasn’t up to par, which is why it was removed from the PlayStation Store just shortly after its launch. You could still buy a physical copy of it at the time, but getting it digitally was impossible on PlayStation platforms. That leads us to the obvious: Why did CDPR ever bother with last-gen if it wound up causing so many problems in the months leading up to, and after, the game’s release?
The PS4 version is still in rough shape
“For the best Cyberpunk experience on PlayStation, play on PS4 Pro and PS5 systems,” Sony says.CD Projekt RED
Several updates later, Cyberpunk 2077 is back on the PlayStation Store, and users can once again purchase it digitally. Though, it comes with an ominous warning: “For the best Cyberpunk experience on PlayStation, play on PS4 Pro and PS5 systems.” So it’s clear that the PS4 version remains not up to the standards Sony wants from its games.
This is despite CD Projekt Red’s promise to ensure each and every version of the game would work “well,” and run “smoothly.
” It might be tempting to completely disregard the PS4 version since the PS5 is out now, but with such a huge install base on the previous generation, it’s impractical to ignore so many players who just want to get what they paid for.
There are millions of base PS4 owners out there who bought a game that doesn’t work as intended — even six months later. Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 certainly runs better than it did at launch, but the fact that Sony still had to give the game a warning label is a terrible look. It’s unprecedented, especially for a game of this budget and scope. It’s clear that in the last six months since release, CDPR has been putting out dozens of metaphorical fires. Sorting out the biggest problems with the PSN version of the game is one of many, and it’s one that developers simply don’t have the resources to address properly.
Why did Sony re-list the game at all?
If it’s so bad that it needs a warning label, it probably shouldn’t be sold. It’s as if the parties involved have given up on the PS4 version in favor of supporting PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X editions.
We’ll likely never know all the details of the conversation between Sony and CD Projekt Red about Cyberpunk 2077’s presence on the PS Store, but from the outside looking in, it doesn’t bode well.
Game development is a time-consuming and challenging process. Things change over the course of a game’s production, unexpected issues arise, and budgets dwindle. It’s a miracle that video games get made at all. The ongoing Cyberpunk 2077 saga remains unprecedented, leaving CDPR with a tarnished reputation that it will need to rebuild over time.
But re-releasing a still-busted PS4 version for purchase doesn’t even feel like a step in the right direction. Focusing too much on last-gen versions of such an ambitious game is probably the root of these issues as is, and right now the PS4 listing is a brazen reminder of past mistakes that leaves little confidence in the future of Cyberpunk 2077 and CDPR at large.
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Cyberpunk 2077 will return to PlayStation Store in June
Cyberpunk 2077 returns to Sony’s PlayStation Store on June 21, more than 180 days after the PlayStation 4 version of the game was pulled from sale by Sony amid complaints about the game’s performance.
The announcement was made in a regulatory disclosure by CD Projekt, the parent company of CD Projekt Red..
The return of Cyberpunk 2077 to Sony’s digital store comes after developer CD Projekt Red’s release of a multiple major patches and hot fixes for the game. Recent updates have targeted hundreds of bugs and improved performance of last-generation console versions of the game.
In December, Sony delisted CD Projekt Red’s open-world adventure game from the PlayStation Store. Sony Interactive Entertainment said in a statement at the time that it “strives to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction” and subsequently removed the PS4 game (which is also playable on PlayStation 5) from its digital store. SIE pledged full refunds for customers who purchased the digital version of Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store.
Sony’s action at the time followed an apology from CD Projekt Red parent company executives, in which CD Projekt management admitted to “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.
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“We should have paid more attention to making it play better on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One,” read a note signed by Marcin Iwiński, founder of parent company CD Projekt, and its board of directors. CD Projekt asked customers to seek refunds from retailers, but Sony did not have a refund policy in place for digital purchases.
In January, Iwiński offered a more detailed apology and CD Projekt outlined a longterm plan to fix Cyberpunk 2077, starting with a pair of major patches designed to address performance, gameplay bugs, and numerous crashes.
Update: In a statement to Polygon, Sony confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 will return to the PlayStation Store. It also cautioned users against playing the game on a base PlayStation 4 until CD Projekt Red fixes some more issues.
“SIE can confirm that Cyberpunk 2077 will be re-listed on PlayStation Store starting June 21, 2021,” a Sony spokesperson said in an email. “Users will continue to experience performance issues with the PS4 edition while CD Projekt Red continues to improve stability across all platforms.
SIE recommends playing the title on PS4 Pro or PS5 for the best experience.”
Update (June 21): As promised, Cyberpunk 2077 returned to Sony’s PlayStation Store on Monday. CD Projekt said in a tweet that PlayStation 4 users “may continue to experience some performance issues” with that version, calling the PlayStation 4 Pro and PlayStation 5 versions of the game “the best experience on PlayStation.”
Users may continue to experience some performance issues with the PS4 edition while we continue to improve stability across all platforms. The PS4 Pro and PS5 versions of the game will provide the best experience on PlayStation.
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) June 21, 2021
Became known the release date of the new version of Cyberpunk 2077 — Gazeta.ru
The release date of the new version of Cyberpunk 2077 has become known — Gazeta.Ru | News
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The Polish game studio CD Projekt RED presented the release date of the updated version of Cyberpunk 2077 and showed a gameplay video.
A recording of the live broadcast is available on the company’s Twitch channel .
The game will be available for next-generation PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles. The studio showed a video with recorded gameplay for both consoles. The version for new consoles will be available with update 1.5, which will be released on February 15th. A large patch weighs approximately 50 gigabytes. nine0003
The update will feature a completely redesigned perk and combat balance system, an improved driving model, the ability to switch to slow walking and change the appearance of the main character at any time. The developers also talked about fixing bugs: for example, now NPCs in the game do not disappear when the character turns his back on them.
Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red was released on December 10, 2020 after three release delays. At the same time, users of the Xbox One and PS4 consoles reported serious technical and gameplay problems. The developers admitted that they did not devote enough time to finalizing the game on these consoles.
The main cause of the problems was the in-game streaming system that Cyberpunk 2077 used to feed game content and mechanics to the engine without interrupting the download. Due to problems, Sony has withdrawn the game from the PlayStation Store until further notice. nine0003
Earlier it was reported that CD Projekt RED CD Projekt RED became exhibit at the Museum of Failure in the US city of Minneapolis.
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Cyberpunk 2077 received update 1.5 and native nextgen versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series
CD Projekt RED held a livestream to announce that the long-awaited major patch 1.5, as well as nextgen version Cyberpunk 2077 is already available for download, or will be until the end of the day.
Release trailer.
Nextgen upgrade is free for PS4 and Xbox One owners. Along with this, the game received a five-hour trial version, but only for the nextgen. The promotion is available until March 15th.