Phantom Liberty Wouldn’t Have Been So Great Without Initial Failure, Says CDPR

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CDPR Learned Right Lessons From Launch Failure!

Story Highlight
  • CD Projekt RED states that Phantom Liberty was shaped by the negative feedback for the base game.
  • The team was fundamentally changed after Cyberpunk 2077 launched.
  • These changes will carry over into the development of future projects.

Cyberpunk 2077 may have concluded its journey last year, but the RPG will go down as one of gaming’s greatest comeback stories.

In 2021, hardly anyone had kind words for Cyberpunk 2077, but the narrative has been flipped today. In fact, CD Projekt RED says that Phantom Liberty would not have been nearly as good without all the negative feedback from the launch.

Why it matters: The experience describes how developers can use negative feedback for a positive outcome. This can be an important lesson since so many games are prone to failure today.

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Speaking to TheGamer, quest director Pawel Sasko explained how fan feedback shaped CD Projekt RED’s approach to game development and future updates.

He described how the team completely changed its production style for Phantom Liberty as a direct result of the feedback. In fact, the director states that the whole studio underwent massive changes.

It changed me and us as a studio.

-Pawel Sasko

One key lesson that the team learned was to avoid crunch at all costs. It also focused on the goal of improving the Cyberpunk 2077 experience at all costs, even when the studio was at its lowest in terms of morale.

Following the launch, CD Projekt RED addressed most of the biggest player concerns. The team overhauled various systems and introduced new mechanics, hoping to show players that the developers still cared about providing the best possible experience.

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Perhaps the biggest advantage to CD Projekt RED has been the fact that future games will now benefit from this approach. The Witcher 4 and the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel should avoid a similar launch in the future.

Today, Cyberpunk 2077 has over 95% positive reviews on Steam, and its success is no secret. CD Projekt RED has returned to its former glory, and the team hopes to exceed expectations again in the coming years.

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