In an apparent attempt to rewrite history, a CD Projekt Red executive has suggested that the famously rocky launch and ensuing debacle of long-in-development, yet surprisingly underbaked RPG Cyberpunk 2077 wasn't that bad, actually.
To be fair, not everyone had a bad time with Cyberpunk at launch, but many of us did (or simply held off from playing for a while). And yet, in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, CD Projekt's VP of PR and communication Michał Platkow-Gilewski, remembers things somewhat differently, recalling that: "I actually believe Cyberpunk on launch was way better than it was received, and even the first reviews were positive."
Platkow-Gilewski continues, elaborating: "Then it became a cool thing not to like it. We went from hero to zero really fast. That was a tough moment. We didn't know what was happening. We knew that the game was great, yes we can improve it, yes we need to take time to do it, and we need to rebuild some stuff."
That was nearly three years ago now, and CD Projekt has shown an admirable effort in improving the base game. We're pleased to say the game has been in a much better place ever since the PS5 soft re-launch, and with previews of the upcoming expansion Phantom Liberty being so positive, are actually quite hopeful for the studio's future prospects.
Platkow-Gilewsk's outlook is positive, too, while acknowledging past missteps: "We're in a cool moment right now. Yes, the road was bumpy. When everything was awesome and amazing before the release of Cyberpunk... it was the time of my life, but it was too good to be true.
For posterity, in case future generations must look backwards for the truth, consider that there are few bigger fans of CD Projekt Red's work than Push Square's own Assistant Editor Robert Ramsey. He reviewed the infamous PS4 version of the game, awarding it 3/10, and described it as a "disaster of a launch that'll be remembered for years to come."