Cyberpunk 2077 pulled from PlayStation Store after bug backlash
Sony REMOVES hotly-anticipated $330 million game Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store and offers refunds after reports it was beset with glitches and characters’ penises were ‘bursting through their pants’
- The game has been in development for 8 years and launched on December 10
- Users have complained of host of issues on older consoles such as the PS4
- Sony has now taken the unprecedented step of pulling the game from its store
- Users who have already purchased the game will be able to get a full refund, Sony said in a statement
Sony has taken the unprecedented step of pulling the Cyberpunk 2077 game from the PlayStation Store just one week after its much-anticipated release.
A deluge of complaints surrounding bugs on last-generation consoles, such as the PS4, were the primary issue leading to its removal from the digital store.
Issues with substandard graphics riled up users as well as unfortunate glitches, including one which led to characters’ penises bursting through their clothing.
The dystopian-themed title retails from £49.99 and is one of the most expensive games ever made after eight years in development, with production costs reaching an estimated $330million (£245million).
Customers who bought the game after its release date on December 10 through the digital store will be offered a refund, PlayStation said in a statement.
Cyberpunk 2077 is also available on the Xbox One, on which it is also suffering from issues — with Microsoft announcing that they too will be offering refunds.
It remains unclear whether the game will also be delisted from the Microsoft Store.
The dystopian-themed title is reportedly one of the most expensive games ever made with production costs reaching $330million (£245million). But following the December 10 release there were a host of issues which has led to today’s decision to take it off the market
Players have mostly complained of crashes on the older consoles, such as poor frame rates and screen tearing.
The hyped graphics, one of the game’s main selling points, have also disappointed and the game is said to be prone to crashes.
Sony’s gaming division SIE said it ‘strives to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction, therefore we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store.
‘SIE will also be removing Cyberpunk 2077 from PlayStation Store until further notice,’ it said.
On Monday, the Warsaw-based maker CD Projekt RED pledged to fix bugs and crashes happening within the game through two major updates early in 2021 which it hoped would satisfy most players, while also offering to help any customers who wish to seek a refund.
‘Dear gamers, first of all, we would like to start by apologising to you for not showing the game on base last-gen consoles before it premiered and, in consequence, not allowing you to make a more informed decision about your purchase,’ CDPR said at the time.
‘We should have paid more attention to making it play better on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.’
In a note to investors today, the Polish company confirmed the ‘temporary suspension’ of digital sales of the PlayStation version and said it had discussed the refund decision with Sony.
Shares in the firm have plunged by 30 per cent since the game was released.
Cyberpunk 2077’s release had been delayed twice and CD Projekt RED was forced to add health warnings after one reviewer complained it caused an epileptic seizure.
Last week, the developer said it was looking into a ‘more permanent solution’ to tackle the health risk ‘as soon as possible’.
The delays, which the firm blamed on the coronavirus pandemic and the complexity of creating such a vast world for nine different platforms including Xbox consoles and PCs, sparked a fierce backlash.
Despite the problems, entertainment rating website Metacritic has given Cyberpunk 2077 a score of 87 out of 100, based on 69 reviews.
Cyberpunk 2077 is also available on the Xbox One, on which it is also suffering from issues — with Microsoft announcing that they too will be offering refunds. It remains unclear whether the game will also be delisted from the Microsoft Store
Prominent gamers took to Twitter to voice their shock at the unprecedented move to pull the game from the PlayStation Store
Taking a game of the scale and hype of Cyberpunk 2077 is unprecedented and the gaming community could not believe the decision
Developers working on the game spent eight years creating the game and eight days after its release it has been pulled from the story for poor performance on older consoles, such as the PS4 and Xbox One
In a note to investors on Friday, the Polish company confirmed the ‘temporary suspension’ of digital sales of the PlayStation version and said it had discussed the refund decision with Sony. Shares in the firm has plunged by 30 per cent since the game was released
But ratings by gamers on the same site were somewhat less upbeat, with more than 20,500 users giving the game an average score of 7 out of 10.
The main character is the gun-toting ‘V’, who makes his way through Night City – a conflict-ridden American megacity.
The game also features the face and voice of Hollywood star Keanu Reeves, best known for the ‘Matrix’ trilogy and the ‘John Wick’ films.
Metacritic describes the game as ‘an open-world, action-adventure story set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification’.
CD Projekt RED rose to global prominence five years ago thanks to its hugely successful ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’, a sombre fantasy whose monster-slaying hero is endowed with superhuman powers.
‘Cyberpunk 2077 was expected to become a 30m+ seller prior to launch. It could have been delayed another year and still sold more than that easily,’ said Daniel Ahmad, a video game industry analyst at Niko Partners.
‘I don’t think we’ve ever really seen something like this in the industry before… This is the platform holder delisting the game,’ he said on Twitter.
‘It turns out crunching non stop for months doesn’t make a game good. It negatively impacts not just the health of devs (developers), but the game too,’ Ahmad added.
Delays are becoming increasingly frequent in the gaming industry as games get bigger, more expensive and with more people involved.
This year, the coronavirus pandemic has complicated things further, with many studios forced to operate with developers working from home.
