Cyberpunk 2077 Launch Led To Significant Morale Hit For CDPR

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Abiyan

At Tech4gamers, I cover all sorts of gaming news. Whether it’s a leak of any upcoming game or an update, an announcement, or a rumour, I like to write about it all. Over the weekend, I sit and write features where I talk about games that I miss or want to see return.

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Cyberpunk 2077 had enough anticipation behind it in 2020 to rival some of the biggest games of all time. With years of build-up and a studio like CDPR behind the game, the team had the perfect recipe for success.

However, the game’s release can only be described as a tragedy. Since then, the team has acknowledged that the release was a disaster, with a recent statement from a developer highlighting the team’s immediate reaction to the release.

Following the release, the entire team took a morale hit.

Why it matters: CDPR has made one of the biggest modern gaming comebacks. This would not have been possible without the studio accepting its mistake, which was the first step taken by the team.

During a recent interview with Inven Global, Colin Walder from CDPR addressed the game’s release. The developer currently serves as an engineering director at the studio, and much like everyone else, he was saddened by the backlash.

He elaborated that everyone in the team took a morale hit, and it was not easy for the developers to get back up on their feet. Elaborating on the difficulties after the release of Cyberpunk 2077, he said:

“We had to admit that the outcome wasn’t what we’d hoped for and that we were determined to change things.”

The developer believes actions speak louder than words, so the team hoped to show its commitment to improving Cyberpunk 2077.

Colin Walder emphasized that even the smallest task can provide an opportunity to implement change. He used a looming deadline as an example, stating that the team began to consider alternate methods as opposed to resorting to crunch.

This approach helped the studio rebuild its morale and redeem Cyberpunk 2077. We believe CDPR did a fine job sticking to a game brimming with potential, which was eventually realized with the 2.0 update.

As a testament to the team’s commitment, the game currently stands at over 500K positive Steam reviews after winning back fan trust.

The developers also addressed CDPR’s approach moving forward. Following the recent lessons, the team is already running demos and internal reviews on consoles for the next game from the start.

This approach was likely the main reason behind the positive reviews and impressive sales of Phantom Liberty.

Having redeemed Cyberpunk 2077 and learned many valuable, CDPR has moved on to new projects. These projects include new installments in The Witcher and Cyberpunk franchises, with the studio hoping to deliver a polished game from day one in the future.

Abiyan

[News Reporter]

Abiyan is on track to complete his Computer Science bachelor’s degree. His enthusiasm for writing and gaming motivates him to keep readers and gamers updated with the latest information from the industry. In his free time, Abiyan enjoys playing Dota 2 and Rocket League. Abiyan has also been cited in reputed websites such as Kitguru, Comicbook, GamingBible, Eurogamer and Gamingbolt.