Yesterday, Cyberpunk’s social media channels released one of their walls of text on gaudy yellow background, in which they apologised for releasing the broken console versions of Cyberpunk 2077, the same ones they gave no review copies for and let no one try out before release because…Hmm. That is a tough one. While I think about any possible reasons they might’ve had to do something as naughty as this, here’s the official release, in case you haven’t yet read it:
Ugh, every time I look at this yellow, it gouges my eyes out a little further–a small problem in comparison to the ridiculous amount of flashing lights that cause epileptic seizures whenever you skip dialogue in the game, until recently. But let’s not talk about Cyberpunk’s lackluster attempt to decrease the global gamer population, one epilepsy seizure at a time (allegedly, snicker), let’s discuss instead what CDPR has wholeheartedly embraced here–an “easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission” mentality at the expense of reputation, goodwill, and a plummet of the company’s stock prices.
Cyberpunk has had a troubled development cycle, one plagued by controversy, crunch and finally, a release so buggy that it has turned the tide, from the most hyped game in the multiverse to where we are today, dissecting one hipocrisy after another. Ah, if only someone foresaw this. Some anonymous developer on Reddit, perhaps? Ah, it’ll come to me.
Portions of this letter read as the height of hypocrisy indeed, since rather than “apologigizing for not showing the game on base last-gen consoles before it premiered,” CDPR could’ve easily remedied this by…showing it. Of course, the best they could’ve done of a horrific port that does not run properly is not to release it along with the marginally better current-gen and PC versions–a move that would’ve harmed their short-term sales, certainly, but also would’ve done much to keep that veneer of “consumer-friendly” reputation that Projekt Red has long toiled to hold onto in the face of many controversies.
With blowback severe enough that the company is forced to offer refunds over PSN and Xbox both, even the fiercest CDPR apologist has to face the truth–this is the kind of faux pass that stains a game developer forever, a move so conceited it recalls many a past Triple-A release’s attempt to get one over on us consumers.
Now, that these ports will be playable several months down the line, I have little doubt. But if you don’t take issue with the blatant attempt on CDPR’s part to pull wool over the public’s eyes, you’re not paying attention. This desperate attempt at damage control isn’t going to put the genie back in the bottle.
The Grimoire Reliquary 
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