Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Refers To 2020 Launch As ‘Tragedy’ Ahead of Expansion

Cyberpunk 2077 has become one of the most notorious examples of a poor release. Following years of excitement and anticipation, the game failed to live up to the excitement and fell flat on its face.

However, CD Projekt Red has done much to improve the game, and the studio hopes to start fresh with the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update and the upcoming Phantom Liberty expansion.

The expansion launches next month, and a CD Projekt Red developer has recently taken to Twitter, expressing his nervousness after the tragic launch of the game in 2020.

Why it matters: The gaming industry is no stranger to poor releases and disappointments. However, fans will be glad to know that CD Projekt Red has fully acknowledged its mistakes.

27 days chooooomies 😱

First full-blown release since the 2020 tragedy. You cannot imagine how stresseful and hopefull it feels, in the same time 🥺 https://t.co/jsFy0LVzIk

— Paweł Sasko (@PaweSasko) August 30, 2023

At launch, the numerous bugs and glitches were far from the only problems of Cyberpunk 2077.

It launched on last-generation consoles, but the performance issues made the game unplayable. Eventually, storefronts like the PlayStation Store provided refunds for the game.

This left many fans frustrated as they felt deceived by the lack of transparency from the studio about the console release. On the other hand, the PC release was also a hit or miss for players.

All of this culminated in what Pawel Sasko described as a tragedy. This has led to CD Projekt Red being engaged in fixes and updates for the game, with the first major launch ready to release three years later.

The developer describes that the team feels stressed after its last major launch. However, Phantom Liberty also provides a new beginning and a second chance for Cyberpunk 2077, leading to a lot of hope and excitement.

Leading up to the launch of Phantom Liberty, the game saw a massive change in its Steam reviews. 80% of the users have left positive impressions on the game’s Steam page after the recent updates and improvements to the game.

Phantom Liberty was recently shown at Gamescom 2023. The latest footage showed vehicle combat and mechanics like a new relic tree, more customization, and a nearly transformed experience for the studio’s latest title.

This reveal immensely increased the anticipation among fans. A recent report from CD Projekt Red also confirms that the studio is delighted with the expansion’s pre-order numbers ahead of the release.