It’s hard to find a more notorious example of a recent release that severely failed to live up to its own hype than CD Projekt Red’sCyberpunk 2077. The ambitious sci-fi FPS was many years in the making, and fans were primed for an expansive, adrenaline-pumping experience whenCyberpunk 2077finally launched in 2020. But what they got instead was a game littered with bugs and missing several expected features, which quickly soured players on the otherwise decent title asCyberpunk 2077saw a rapid drop in sales, review bombings, and other seemingly long-lasting impacts on its success.
Games only get one chance at a first impression, and many that bomb that spectacularly find it hard to move out from under the shadow of their failures, but it seems likeCyberpunk 2077may be the exception. After years of work from the development team to provide patches, improve features, and work towards releasing hefty DLCs,Cyberpunk 2077was starting to turn its reputation around. Now, mostly thanks to the brand-new anime seriesEdgerunnersthat landed on Netflix this month,Cyberpunk 2077is experiencing a resurgence that could have a major impact on CD Projekt Red’s future.
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A Reversal Of Fortunes
Cyberpunk 2077didn’t have the most promising of starts, with its negative receptiontanking CD Projekt Red’s stock pricealmost overnight and forcing the developer to course correct as a result. Work shifted immediately to bug fixes and repairing damage, rather than looking ahead to any exciting new content thatCyberpunk 2077’s team might have had planned. Now, almost two years after the game was first launched,Cyberpunk 2077is seeing a massive spike in its player base as gamers flock back to Night City.
With September providing both thethe Edgerunners updatethat brought more fixes to the base game and the darkly entertaining anime of the same name, it has proven to be a promising time for the franchise. The anime has been well-received and has either encouraged gamers to return or be introduced to the incredible world ofCyberpunk 2077. The developer has also been laying the foundations for the upcomingPhantom LibertyDLC, which has piqued the interest of many fans ahead of its own launch next year. The future ofCyberpunk 2077is finally looking bright once again as a result.
What This Means For CD Projekt Red
While this seems like a positive time for CD Projekt Red after a period of profound struggle,Cyberpunk 2077’s resurgence could have a few interesting implicationsfor the developer and its future. At first, the response aroundCyberpunk 2077seemed more like crisis management, and thoughts of growing the franchise were put on hold or even appeared to be permanently abandoned. Now that things are looking up, and the game has a bigger player base, CD Projekt Red may want to think about what the future of the franchise looks like, with chunkier DLCs or possibly even a sequel.
Initially, the developer was going to double-down on the belovedWitcherfranchise in response toCyberpunk 2077’s less-than-ideal launch, and with a whole new saga on the way, it seemed as if players could be in formany years ofWitchercontentover any new series or standalone titles. TheWitcherfranchise still feels like safer ground, especially considering the popular reception of the last mainline installment, butCyberpunk 2077’s change in fortunes could mean that CD Projekt Red rethinks this approach.
With CD Projekt Red’s stock prices crawling back up and a renewed interest in its output, it’s not in as much of a dire position as it was at this time last year. The developer may still be slightly risk averse, but it’s shown that it is willing to put in the work and invest in its games, which could go a long way to winning back players' trust. Even thoughthe nextWitchergameseems like it will be the developer’s main focus for a while, it might still consider another original IP down the line given how muchCyberpunk 2077has managed to change minds and bring back fans.
Cyberpunk 2077is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
