Following yesterday's public apology letter posted by CD PROJEKT RED for the old-gen console Cyberpunk 2077 issues (for more on that topic, check out Keith's video comparison of Xbox One S and Xbox Series footage), key members of the Polish company's management board participated in a conference call with investors.
The call, which anyone can listen to by going to this URL, opened with President and Joint CEO Adam Kiciński explaining why the highly anticipated game released in that state for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
After three delays, we as the management board were too focused on releasing the game. We underestimated the scale and complexity of the issues. We ignored the signals about the need for additional time to refine the game on the base last gen consoles. It was the wrong approach and against our business philosophy. On top of that, during the campaign, we showed the game on PC, which caused loss of gamers trust and the reputation that we have been building to a big part of our lives. And that's why our first steps are solely focused on regaining those two things. We are concentrated on fixing Cyberpunk 2077 on last gen consoles. The first substantial set of fixes was released over the weekend. The next set of fixes will be released within the next seven days. Big updates are planned for January and February together with smaller fixes. Of course, PC gamers will also be getting regular updates and fixes to improve the game. We'll do everything possible to prove that we stick to our values. We truly hope that our efforts will let us rebuild the trust we have lost.
Following this opening statement, investors were able to present their questions to CDPR executives. This allowed us to glean even more tidbits on the situation. For example, Kiciński did state that COVID-related issues meant there was a decrease in the number of Cyberpunk 2077 testers from outside CDPR, though he also added this probably wasn't a major source of problems.
Maybe one thing which didn't help us is COVID as internal testers are able to test Cyberpunk 2077 working at homes because we provide them with all connection machines and so on. But external testers, working for external companies, were not able to test game from homes because they have test centers and they are not there, they're not able to work. So we had some decrease in the number of testers, but I wouldn't point at it as a major source of problems.
Other noteworthy statements include the execs' hope that console gamers will wait until the game is fixed before refunding. They also hope the free upgrade to next-gen versions will prove to be a deterrent to refunds. Investors asked whether this situation would affect Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer with a delay or anything of the sort, but CDPR execs didn't comment on that, only adding that there is no date yet for the multiplayer mode (though we already knew it will not be released before 2022).
Dear readers, are you enjoying Cyberpunk 2077 on PC/Google Stadia/next-generation consoles? If you bought it for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, are you planning to refund or wait for the patches? Let us know below.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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