Cyberpunk 2077 is seeing a huge resurgence, and the devs are loving it.
Speaking to fans on his Twitch channel (via GamesRadar), Cyberpunk 2077 quest director Pawel Sasko explained what it means to see the game being picked up by so many, so long after its original launch.
“It’s hard to express, when you’re putting so much heart and work into something,” he said. “And you know for some of us it’s been six, seven, eight years sometimes, especially for those who started at the very beginning. So, to have this moment, of people liking something that we did, it’s really feeling a bit unreal. That finally people are appreciating it.”
Cyberpunk 2077 debuted on December 10, 2020, but had a troubled launch, to say the least. A disastrous console launch on the base versions of PS4 and Xbox One saw extensive bugs and glitches, a problem so bad that Sony soon delisted the game, with the PS Store and developer CD Projekt Red offering refunds to those who purchased it.
The game was eventually relisted in June 2021, but with a warning that it was best played on PlayStation Pro and the PS5. Upgraded PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Cyberpunk 2077 were finally released on February 15, 2022.
“After the release, I couldn’t believe – after some time, I did – but at the beginning I couldn’t believe, and I remember […] my dear girlfriend, she was seeing me f**king completely wrecked,” said Sasko. “But it’s good to be back. It’s f**king good to be back. That was really so heartbreaking.”
After the criticism, CD Projekt Red put significant effort into turning the game around, with multiple bug fixes and updates across the game’s lifespan to date. But perhaps most significantly, the huge popularity of its spin-off anime, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, has seen the game surge once more.
IGN’s Cyberpunk Edgerunners review said, “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners delivers a satisfying return to Night City that does a better job exploring why Mike Pondsmith’s famous location became so iconic in the first place.” Following the anime’s launch, Cyberpunk 2077 has seen record numbers of players.
Each day of this week Night City has been visited by 1 million players, both new and returning.
We wanted to use this opportunity to thank you for being with us and playing the game. Thanks, Chooms! 💛 pic.twitter.com/zqggblztF8— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) September 21, 2022
CD Projekt Red reported that over 1 million people played Cyberpunk 2077 every single day in the week following the launch of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. With improvements, bug fixes, and a next-gen update back in February 2022, they’re experiencing a better game, too.
Want to read more about Cyberpunk 2077? Find out why Cyberpunk 2077 is ending PS4 and Xbox One support as well as some details about its upcoming expansion.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.