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When Cyberpunk 2077 was released in December 2020 by CD Projekt Red, its launch was not good, to say the least. For starters, Cyberpunk 2077 was plagued by many bugs, ranging from minor aesthetic issues to outright game-breaking flaws that prevented players from progressing further in the story. These bugs were present for everyone, even those on high-end PCs. For those on last-gen consoles, such as the PS4 and Xbox One, Cyberpunk 2077’s performance was even worse. These unlucky people had to experience a game with poor frame rates, low-resolution textures, and torturous loading times, which led to the game’s temporary removal from the PlayStation Store. Finally, many features that were promoted throughout Cyberpunk 2077’s pre-release marketing campaign were not included in the initial release, which caused many negative reviews.
So, how could a game with one of the worst launches in gaming history possibly rebound from this and go from failure to success, becoming one of the best RPGs ever made?
The first order of business for CD Projekt Red was fixing Cyberpunk 2077’s vast array of performance issues and enabling a smooth gaming experience for all gamers, no matter what platform they were on. To achieve this, CD Projekt Red was required to do extensive work to root out all the bugs plaguing Cyberpunk 2077 and ensure that those on last-gen consoles could play the game properly. CD Projekt Red made its first real progress in fixing these issues with the release of Patch 1.2 in March 2021, which addressed over 500 bugs and vastly improved Cyberpunk 2077’s performance on last-gen consoles, making the game playable on these platforms. However, this was only a start, as there were some lingering performance issues and a lot of content that was still missing from the game. Therefore, CD Projekt Red continued its progress and released Patch 1.5 in February 2022, adding new features such as much improved AI behaviour, better driving mechanics, and vastly enhanced graphics, among others. In short, Patch 1.2 and 1.5 fixed many post-launch performance issues and added in many missing features, thereby enhancing Cyberpunk 2077’s playability, restoring a significant degree of player confidence, and dragging the game from the depths of failure. Here is a video showcasing the difference in graphics between Patch 1.5 and Cyberpunk 2077’s post-launch state, demonstrating how much the game’s quality improved over time.
What really sparked Cyberpunk 2077’s journey from failure to success was the release of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime series in September 2022. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is set in the same world as Cyberpunk 2077 but takes place one year earlier than the start of the game and features an entirely new cast of main characters and a standalone narrative. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners received very positive reviews and ignited a huge wave of interest in the Cyberpunk universe. This greatly increased the player count of Cyberpunk 2077, enabling the game to reach one million daily concurrent players on Steam for the first time since its launch, as it inspired many who abandoned the game to give it another chance. Furthermore, the huge wave of interest in the Cyberpunk universe enabled Cyberpunk 2077 to attract those unfamiliar with the game, thereby converting them into players. Most importantly, CD Projekt Red took advantage of the positive reception of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and released Patch 1.6, which added various items and missions inspired by the series to Cyberpunk 2077. Patch 1.6 also introduced further bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements. In short, Cyberpunk 2077’s synergy with the release and popularity of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners enabled it to bloom into a successful game and set it well on its way to redemption. If you’re interested in experiencing the thrill of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, you can watch the series on Netflix at your convenience!
The icing on the cake for Cyberpunk 2077’s journey from failure to success was the release of the Phantom Liberty DLC expansion in September 2023. Phantom Liberty introduced a new location in the chaotic warzone of Dogtown, more collectible weapons and vehicles, and a gripping storyline featuring Idris Elba at the head of a host of well-developed characters. Phantom Liberty received very positive reviews and was especially lauded for its storytelling. Furthermore, Phantom Liberty overhauled some of Cyberpunk 2077’s core mechanics that many gamers previously wanted to be improved with the simultaneous release of Patch 2.0, which was made available to everyone, regardless of whether they owned the DLC. Some popular overhauls included a new and simplified perk system, enhanced combat, a better police system, and the removal of level scaling, among others. For more information on the overhauls, check out this extensive list of all the changes made in Patch 2.0. In short, the Phantom Liberty DLC expansion provided new and exciting content to players who purchased the DLC and greatly enhanced Cyberpunk 2077’s appeal to all players regardless of whether they owned the DLC, enabling it to be widely considered a masterpiece and thereby fully solidifying itself as worthy of its pre-release hype.
The road to redemption was certainly long and challenging, but in the end, Cyberpunk 2077 completed its journey from failure to success and triumphed against all odds. This shows that all hope is not lost for a game that flops at release. Obviously, it is better if a game does well at release and does not need to redeem itself. Still, with the right decisions and enough effort, developers can ensure that their games can successfully embark on a journey from failure to success, just like Cyberpunk 2077!
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