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- Cyberpunk 2077 celebrated its third anniversary recently.
- The game had an infamous launch, but the developers did not lose hope.
- Three years later, this title is famous for one of the best comebacks in gaming.
Cyberpunk 2077 has seen one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the gaming industry. Seven years after its initial announcement, the game was finally launched in 2020 after the revolutionary Witcher 3.
Following multiple delays and promises, CDPR hoped to meet the expectations of the industry. However, this game was released in a shockingly bad state on 10 December, three years ago.
Why it matters: The game stands as an example of rushed releases. At the same time, it highlights that continued effort and hope can help bring a game back from a poor state.
With years of build-up behind it, CDPR appeared to be unstoppable. Following The Witcher 3, this studio gained a reputation for consumer-friendliness and well-crafted RPGs, contributing to the buzz surrounding its next game.
Cyberpunk 2077 was released in December 2020, but the game was half-cooked at launch. Not only was it plagued by bugs and glitches, but it was also unplayable on consoles.
The game faced criticism from millions at launch. Being one of the few games to be taken off the PlayStation Store, this ambitious project soon became a disaster for CDPR in every way.
However, three years later, you would be forgiven for believing Cyberpunk 2077 was always a hit. On its third anniversary, CDPR has looked back on this wild ride, celebrating the fact that the team never lost hope.
It took the developers two years to remove bugs and glitches, improving the AI and open world along the way. A current-gen release in 2022 also introduced a more stable experience for the game on consoles two years later.
The turning point for Cyberpunk 2077 was the release of an anime, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. This beautiful adaptation from Studio Trigger helped the game climb the Steam top-sellers in December 2022.
One year later, this RPG has sold over 25 million units in total, trailing behind The Witcher 3 as CDPR’s second-best-selling game. The latter has sold over 50 million copies in its lifetime.
Following its comeback, Cyberpunk 2077 gathered over 500K positive reviews on Steam. Today, the game offers a different experience altogether. Having won the trust of millions of fans, CDPR is now a more confident and focused team.
The studio has introduced missing features like the metro system through update 2.1, and Phantom Liberty has completed a classic modern narrative for the RPG genre. This has resulted in newfound excitement for this IP and its sequel.
Leading up to the third anniversary, CDPR proudly moved on from the project. Having prevailed through a rough journey, Cyberpunk 2077 went from the laughing stock of the industry to a revered classic appreciated for its many qualities.
The developer is now engaged in work on The Witcher 4. With big goals yet again, the team hopes to break RPG boundaries, with ambitions to create something groundbreaking for the fans.
The experience from 2020 has also motivated the studio to focus on consoles, with the team testing console versions beforehand to avoid another poor release.
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[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.
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