Cyberpunk 2077 – CD Projekt RED talks ‘Commitment to Quality,’ PS5 and Xbox Series versions launch in second half of 2021

CD Projekt RED has published a message and FAQ detailing its “Commitment to Quality” for Cyberpunk 2077 following a rocky launch that led to the game’s removal from the PlayStation Store and various refund initiatives.

Here is a point-by-point summary:

• CD Projekt RED underestimated the task of first making the game look “epic” on PCs and then adjusting it for old-generation consoles.
• In-game streaming needed constant improvement on old-generation consoles, which was the main culprit that made development for consoles difficult.
• Internal testing did not show many of the issues experienced by players post-launch.
• PC review keys went out in the first week of December, while console review keys were sent out on December 8. The reason for this gap is because CD Projekt RED was “still working hard to improve the quality of the game on old-gen consoles,” and every extra day “brought visible improvement.”
• CD Projekt RED’s top priority since launch as been to fix the game’s bugs. Three hotfixes have already been released, which are only “just the beginning.”
• The main focus going forward is bug and crash fixes. Patches both small and large will be released regularly, including one in the next 10 days, followed by a larger and more significant patch in the weeks after.
• The free downloadable content planned for release in early 2021 is still planned, but CD Projekt RED’s priority is working on fixes. The downloadable content will follow afterwards.
• The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series native versions of Cyberpunk 2077 are planned for release in the second half of 2021. This will be available as a free update for users who own the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One versions.
• The team is working on fixes “without any obligatory overtime” to avoid crunch.
• CD Projekt RED is working with Sony Interactive Entertainment to bring the game back to the PlayStation Store as soon as possible.
• The first wave of reimbursements as part of the “Help Me Refund” initiative have just been sent out.

Get the full message and FAQ below.

■ Message

Dear gamers,

We are committed to fixing bugs and crashes and will continue to work and improve the game via future updates to make sure you are enjoying the game regardless of the platform.

We will use this space to inform you about the progress being made on Cyberpunk 2077‘s further development, including information about updates and improvements, free downloadable content, and more.

[In the video above], you’ll find CD Projekt’s co-founder’s personal explanation of what the days leading up to the launch of Cyberpunk 2077 looked like, sharing the studio’s perspective on what happened with the game on old-generation consoles.

Thank you

CD Projekt RED

■ FAQ

Q: Why is there such a gap between PC versions of Cyberpunk 2077 and old-gen consoles?

A: Cyberpunk 2077 is huge in scope, it features a multitude of custom objects, interacting systems and mechanics. In the game, everything is not stretched out over flat terrain where we can make things less taxing hardware-wise, but condensed in one big city and in a relatively loading-free environment. We made it even more difficult for ourselves by first wanting to make the game look epic on PCs and then adjusting it to consoles—especially old-gens. That was our core assumption. And things did not look super difficult at first, while we knew the hardware gap, ultimately, time has proven that we’ve underestimated the task.

Q: What was the main issue that made development for consoles that difficult?

A: The main culprit was having to constantly improve our in-game streaming system for old-gen consoles. Streaming is responsible for “feeding” the engine with what you see on screen, as well as the game mechanics. Since the city is so packed and the disk bandwidth of old-gen consoles is what it is, this is something that constantly challenged us.

Q: Didn’t you test old-gen consoles to keep tabs on the experience?

A: We did. As it turned out, our testing did not show many of the issues you experienced while playing the game. As we got closer to launch, we saw significant improvements each and every day, and we really believed we’d deliver in the final day zero update.

Q: Why was there a gap between PC and console reviews?

A: We started sending out PC review keys to start the review process in the first week of December. Come December 10th, launch day, we had a really good start with PC reviews, and while it’s not perfect, this is a version of the game we were, and still are, very proud of. When it comes to the review process for consoles, at the same time PC codes were sent out we were still working hard to improve the quality of the game on old-gen consoles. Every extra day that we worked on the day zero update brought visible improvement—that’s why we started sending console codes for reviews on the 8th December, which was later than we had planned.

Q: What have you done since launch to make the game better?

A: Our top priority since launch has been to fix bugs in Cyberpunk 2077. We have already released three hotfixes which have improved the game, but these are just the beginning.

Q: What are you going to do going forward to fix Cyberpunk 2077?

A: We are focused on fixing the bugs and crashes players are experiencing across every platform. You can expect more in the way of patches—both small and large—to be released regularly. The first update will drop in the next 10 days, and it will be followed by a larger, more significant update, in the weeks after. Our plans for supporting Cyberpunk 2077 in the long-term are unchanged, and we will continue to introduce updates and patches to give all players across all consoles and PCs a better experience with the game.

Q: You have said there would be free downloadable content for the game in ‘early 2021’, will this be impacted by improvements?

A: We’re still planning on releasing free downloadable content for the game, just like with The Witcher 3. However, we have decided that our priority is working on the most important fixes and updates. We will be releasing free downloadable content afterwards—we’ll have more to say about that in the coming months.

Q: When can we expect the next-gen update for Cyberpunk 2077?

A: For those who are playing the game on next-gen consoles via backwards compatibility, we are planning the free, next-gen update for Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox Series consoles, and PlayStation 5, this year. We’re aiming for the second half of the year and we’ll reveal more when we have more to share.

Q: Are you making the team crunch to work on the patches?

A: The team is working to bring relevant fixes to the game without any obligatory overtime. Avoiding crunch on all of our future projects is one of our top priorities.

Q: When is the game coming back to PlayStation Store?

A: We are working on fixes and updates, and are working with Sony to bring Cyberpunk 2077 back to PlayStation Store as soon as possible.

Q: What is the status of the Help Me Refund initiative?

A: The initiative is progressing according to plan and we just sent out the first wave of reimbursements.

Cyberpunk 2077 launched for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC via Steam, Epic Games, and GOG, and Stadia on December 10, 2020.