CD Projekt Red has been one of the most prominent video game companies that have produced masterpieces in the industry for quite some time now. Producing a series of games like The Witcher Series and the iconic Saints Row games, CD Projekt Red is known for engaging in open-work gameplay.
Like most video game companies and businesses in the market, CD Projekt Red has big dreams for itself and wants to set itself on a strong foundation with other “giants” in the industry. The boldest and most major move that they’ve done comes in the form of Cyberpunk 2077, which has been (supposedly) in development for the last nine years.
In the span of those nine years, the company has been ramping up its marketing campaigns and given the ample time needed to build hype for the game while “ironing out” the game and polishing it to a near mirror finish.
After a few setbacks in the development process caused by events that have transpired through 2020, the game was finally released. Most of these delays in the release date were attributed to bugs and other “unfinished” assets in the game needing a good amount of polish.
But did it live up to the hype that the market wanted? The community is a bit divided on what they think of the game. Most would say that it’s just “polished” enough that the public can enjoy it without bugs, while there are others that would say that the bugs and the glitches in the game have made it near-impossible to play. ;
Most gamers in the community would say that the major contributing factor to these conflicting reports of the game is that the game had different “performance” and graphical issues for each gaming platform.
But, what were the factors that ultimately led to Cyberpunk 2077 flopping in the gaming community? How did these factors affect the game? Did the game overpromise and underdeliver? Let’s answer these questions and how this will affect much of the gaming community when new games are released.
Focus on Graphics and Sound Design
CD Projekt Red is known for focusing on world-building and having a fully immersive gaming world that everybody can enjoy. By far, Cyberpunk 2077 has been lauded for having one of the best graphic and sound designs in 2020. With other next-gen games like The Last of Us 2 and console-exclusive games, Cyberpunk 2077 really did have dazzling graphics and sound design, which did live up to the hype that the gaming community wanted. ;
In their most basic form and ideology, video games are supposed to focus on gameplay and the interactive journey that the user will experience throughout the game. Although there might be a lot of “activities” that you can do in the game, some of these activities fall short, especially since visuals and making a good first impression to the user were made a priority rather than the “depth” of interaction with each character.
Although gameplay will still play a factor in the user’s experience, graphics are also an important part of the target market’s overall impact. Since next-generation games are known for being graphically-intensive, you’ll need to have a good gaming PC for most of these games to work. Fortunately, there are a variety of professionals who are well-versed in building the best gaming rigs. You won’t have to deal with slow gameplay and overheating computers once you’ve invested in some of the best gaming experiences in the market.
Didn’t Fulfill Expectations
One of the main reasons Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t sell too well is it was marketing itself too well. In nine years, the game was already conducting marketing campaigns, which has set the bar so high that people were eventually “disappointed” with the reality of the finished product.
Much of the hype has also placed a lot of pressure on the game developers. CD Projekt Red needed to crunch in the time for the game’s best elements, which ultimately led to the game being riddled with bugs and performance issues. ;
The development process of Cyberpunk 2077 serves as a cautionary tale to game developers and businesses alike that there should be a balance between promising what your company can do and what you can offer to the public. Although the game is still a technological marvel and has its own merits, some parts still clearly need ironing out.