Cyberpunk 2077 Is The Best-Selling PlayStation Game, But There’s A Problem
Cyberpunk 2077 is back on the PlayStation Network, but there is still a major issue.
This article is more than 2 years old
Cyberpunk 2077 released with a mountain of problems under its polished hood, prompting a series of backlashes against its developer, the game’s removal from several digital storefronts, and causing its developer a devastating loss of profit. However, more than seven months after its release and several patches along the way, Cyberpunk 2077 has become the best-selling PlayStation game, despite several problems still plaguing the game.
Cyberpunk 2077 returned to the PlayStation Store in June and quickly became the best-selling game on PlayStation, as reported by TechSpot. However, the game still features a warning from its developer, CD Projekt RED, over its “performance issues” on the base PlayStation 4 console. That notice, combined with the problems this highly-anticipated title had on PS4 consoles, naturally suggests low sales. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth – Cyberpunk 2077 was the best-selling PS4 game in June, outselling other high-grossing titles, like NBA 2K21 and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
For those in need of more context, Cyberpunk 2077 generally received favorable reviews upon its release, which actually drove the sales up. However, the initial reviews were based on the PC version of the game. Console versions of Cyberpunk 2077 were a different story, almost a different product altogether, as they suffered from a slew of problems, especially on the last-gen hardware. This created a noticeable schism in the game’s feedback, which pointed out the game’s poor performance on said systems, prompting Sony to remove Cyberpunk 2077 from its digital storefront “until further notice” in December 2020.
Sony’s removal of Cyberpunk 2077 massively impacted the game developer’s profit, driving CD Projek RED’s stock prices down by almost 66%. The game eventually became stable to play, and one month after its return to the PlayStation Store, Cyberpunk 2077 became the best-selling PS4 game, in both the US/Canada and Europe, despite its previous and current problems. Admittedly, the game’s reintroduction was followed by a warning from its creator, stating that the game performs exceptionally on PS4 Pro and PS5 systems, but anyone with the base PS4 should avoid it, given the console’s limited power.
It would seem that PS4 owners aren’t all that good at heeding warnings issued by game developers. In fact, the game appeared halfway through June, but the massive spike in sales enabled by its sudden availability launched it to the top of the sales chart. It would seem that CD Projekt RED made good on their promise of returning the game to the Store before June 21st this year. The promise did not come without a cost since the developer had to cancel Cyberpunk 2077’s multiplayer component to focus on fixing the main game.
A Cyberpunk 2077 roadmap to recovery, and the developer’s commitment to quality, reveals a free DLC for the game, which was previously announced for early 2021. However, it was postponed in the light of numerous problems the game suffered from, though the company remains adamant about releasing it at one point. CD Projekt RED also plans to release a free, next-gen update for Cyberpunk 2077, aiming for the second half of the year.
