Well, folks, there it is. After launching Cyberpunk 2077 on last-gen consoles, namely the PS4 and Xbox One, CD Projekt Red has finally acknowledged that the launch was a botched one. In a message from CDR’s management, the company has expressed its frustration with the state of the game and what to expect going forward.
Here’s the message in its entirety;
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 helpmerefund@cdprojektred.com 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 Karwowski
P.S. PC gamers will also be getting regular updates and fixes improving the game.
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) December 14, 2020
Ok, so that’s a lot to digest, so let’s dig in. I’m glad to see that after being quiet over the weekend that they have finally fessed up to the complaints of everyone who’s played the game. Not just PS4 and Xbox One owners, but the PC has had its fair share of issues, even after update 1.04 was released.
For now, the game will continue to stay in its current form, while the dev team at CDR will get to enjoy a holiday vacation, and it should be as such. They have already suffered through multiple delays, which resulted in more “crunch” for them, so they should get the downtime. Following this, there will be two big patches in Jan. and Feb. 2021. We can only cross our fingers and hope that either or both of these patches address the multitude of bugs and performance-related issues currently in the game across all the platforms.
However, what’s troubling is what is mentioned here;
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.
I stated in my last video, which can be seen below that the only way I feel CDR can address the performance issues for the last-gen or current-gen consoles is by lowering the visual fidelity even more. Sure, it would increase performance, yet the PS4 and Xbox One versions already look like they’re running at a 720p resolution. How much lower are we expecting the game to look? I hope I’m wrong on that front.
I’ll also point out that I’m happy that they aren’t forcing the dev team to dive right back into the game. The holidays are here, and they need downtime. After all the “crunch,” they need to unwind. Though once Jan. 2021 is here, I fully expect it to be business as usual and the devs will be working nonstop on these patches.
At the very least, everyone is now able to get a refund. Over the weekend, Sony offered refunds on the digital version of the game, even if you had to request it multiple times. Now Xbox is also allowing the game owners to request a refund if you purchased the game digitally. For those who purchased the physical copy of the game, you’ll need to hit up the store where you purchased it and pray they allow a refund. Alternatively, CD Project Red has set up a help email (helpmerefund@cdprojektred.com), should the store not be accommodating with a refund.
Though, the biggest glaring issue is the lack of transparency of the PS4 and Xbox One versions. There was no exposure whatsoever. Meaning, if you either pre-ordered or purchased those versions ahead of time, you had no idea what to expect. I said it before, and I’ll repeat it – that was planned. Reviewers and those with early access were only sent PC codes. No one had access to the PS4 or Xbox One versions, which didn’t sit right with us. How was this possible, and why did the major gaming outlets not cry four about this?
Adding to this, CD Projekt Red’s joint-CEO Adam Kicinski flat out lied to everyone about the PS4 and Xbox versions. During a conference call, transcribed by Seeking Alpha, Adam Kicinski replied to a question asking about the PS4 and Xbox One versions’ performance. He replies that they “were surprisingly good.”. Which we know now couldn’t be further from the truth.
The question is from Piotr Łopaciuk DM PKO BP. When exactly embargo, no reviews will be lifted? Before release, but we are not revealing the exact date — the exact day, actually. So far — but definitely before we release we let gamers read about the game. Before the buy — before they buy the game.
And I can take the next one from Piotr as well. The game has been not presented on basic, not pro console PS4 and Xbox 1 so far. What is the performance of the game on this machine?
Of course, a bit lower than on pros, but surprisingly good, I would say for such a huge world. So, bit lower, but very good. That’s the answer.
Now, having a game drop framerates as low as 15 frames per second while having lower than expected resolution, riddled with bugs, doesn’t sound like it runs “surprisingly well” to me. The facts here are if another game did the same, the developers would be hounded, yet CDR has been praised for this release.
For now, all we can do is wait for the upcoming updates, or you can refund the game and wait to see what happens. We’ll be keeping an eye on this and will continue to update you as the situation improves (or doesn’t).
