Following CD Projekt Red’s disgusting decision to send out only PC review codes and delay the console version, to secure a 90+ score on Metacritic for Cyberpunk 2077, this controversy should be a turning point for the entire industry.
In years previous, E3 was always a big moment for gamers. You finally get to see some of the biggest games either being revealed or see actual gameplay. The problem is that we don’t know if the games are being run on console or a PC that costs €2000+.
On the one hand, it’s reasonable to want to show your game in the best light and there’s no doubt that a high-end PC trounces PS4 and Xbox One. However, what you can’t do – which is what the likes of Ubisoft has been guilty of in the past – is make out that the PC experience will be comparable to console.
We Were All Punk’d
With well over 150 million PS4 and Xbox One consoles out in the wild, the vast majority of purchases of Cyberpunk 2077 would have been on a console. But instead of giving gamers an honest look at what they’re spending their €60 on, CD Projekt Red decided to hide the console edition and pull a Ubisoft and show Cyberpunk running only on PC.
This led to reviewers giving Cyberpunk 2077 an inflated score on Metacritic and giving consumers a false sense of security over the quality of the console versions. And when the console codes were finally sent out the day before release, it revealed just how poorly optimised the game ran. No one should be expecting it to look or play similar to how it does on a high-end PC with an RTX 3080, but it should at least be playable.
Instead, players were met with frame rates dropping into the low teens and texture pop in the like of which I’ve never seen. I understand that visually Cyberpunk 2077 is breathtaking on next-gen Graphics cards, but only a tiny fraction of the audience that will be able to actually see it like that in the flesh.
Thankfully, the next-gen version (through backwards compatibility, not the dedicated versions releasing in 2021) are a lot smoother with both playable in 60fps. But again, a tiny percentage of players have been able to secure next-gen consoles thanks in no small part to scalper groups.
A Painful History
This whole episode is very reminiscent of the reveal of Watch Dogs back in the day. When I first saw Aidan Pearce walking through the bustling streets of Chicago, my jaw dropped. Could this be what next-gen is capable of? Turns out…Nope. Like CDPR, Ubisoft pulled a fast one and had the reveal playing on a high-end PC. When Watch Dogs did release on PS4 and Xbox One, the visual downgrade was there for all to see.
At least with Watch Dogs, it was playable. It didn’t have major performance issues like Cyberpunk 2077. Ubisoft also had a reputation for pulling a fast one when it comes to game visuals, which makes CDPR’s decision all the more infuriating.
All the goodwill that CDPR had following The Witcher III – which also launched with a healthy amount of bugs – has been thrown away. Even with these incoming patches in January and February, it will only exacerbate the well-publicised problem of crunch at the Polish studio.
Lessons Need To Be Learned
With the future of E3 and other gaming shows still up in the air, now is the time for Publishers to take a hard look at how they first reveal and then promote a game throughout its development cycle.
It will take years for CD Projekt Red to gain back the public trust after this debacle. Cyberpunk 2077 is possibly the worst launch in gaming history. The effort the higher-ups went to hide the console version for as long as possible is borderline criminal.
The execs in the likes of Ubisoft, EA and now CDPR need to have a serious look at how they develop and promote games. Otherwise, they could all be facing lawsuits and It’s hardly a surprise that lawsuits from shareholders against CDPR are now a possibility.