CD Projekt RED has now openly admitted in a Q&A with investors that despite providing assurances to Sony and Microsoft, the developers of Cyberpunk 2077 failed to make the necessary QA fixes prior to the release of the game.
Adam Kiciński, the Joint-CEO of CD Projekt, began the Q&A by addressing the issues experienced by players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. “The initial feedback from those playing on the oldest last-gen consoles is way below our expectations”, he said, and we couldn’t agree more.
“I can only assume that [Sony and Microsoft] trusted that we’re going to fix things up on release, and that obviously did not come together exactly as we had planned,” he admitted.
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Cyberpunk 2077 Q&A Roundup
At the Q&A, the developers also admitted that they got around to updating the game on last-gen consoles at “the very last minute." In hindsight, this was probably not the best idea, considering the number of people that pre-ordered the game for PS4 and Xbox One.
Kiciński assured players that the company intends to ensure that Cyberpunk 2077 is playable, confirming that CD Projekt's focus right now is to improve the game’s performance on consoles.
With significant patches expected in January and February, the developers insist that previous-gen players will see “large improvements”. At the same time, they tried to manage expectations. If you’re hoping that PS4 and Xbox One users will see the same level of performance as next-gens or PC, “that definitely isn’t going to happen”.
Cyberpunk 2077 was one of the most anticipated video games of 2020, yet the developers managed to release a game that featured “disaster”-like gameplay for last-gen console players.
Since the game was released on December 10, the internet has been swarmed with reports from Xbox One and PlayStation 4 users (as well as some on PC) regarding inconsistent frame rates and game-breaking bugs, which include T-posing NPCs and flying cars (no, they’re not supposed to fly, even though the game is set in the future).
Despite these overwhelming issues, CD Projekt RED doesn't plan on lowering the price of the game. “We’re focusing on fixing the game to make sure that people are happy with the product.”
Some users have rushed to defend the developers by saying that it’s not unexpected that 7-year old consoles would have trouble running the game, but Twitter users such as @LegacyKillaHD beg to differ:
The lousiest defense of #Cyberpunk2077 PS4/Xbox One base console performance is "What do you expect on 7 year old hardware?".I mean... I think those consumers expect it to run properly? Especially since those are the platforms Cyberpunk was originally intended for.December 12, 2020
Statement from Cyberpunk 2077 developers
On December 14, the developers issued a statement apologizing for not releasing gameplay footage for base last-gen consoles before the game launched:
“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.”
They also invited unsatisfied PS4 and Xbox One users to get refunds in case they didn’t want to wait for the gameplay patches:
pic.twitter.com/jtF5WKCiroDecember 14, 2020
How do I request a refund from CD Projekt RED?
If you’re one of the many console Cyberpunk players who is experiencing issues with the game, make sure to request a refund by December 21 by sending an email to “helpmerefund@cdprojekted.com.”
