Firstly, we take a look at the latest Cyberpunk 2077 Ads Mod from modder Ak47OG, who continues to tirelessly add new billboards to the game. This is highly commendable as are many of the mods available for the game right now. However, this has got us thinking about CD Projekt Red (CDPR) and their behind-closed-doors efforts moving forwards.
Post-launch they presented a vague looking roadmap, alongside a very apologetic video from their Co-founder Marcin Iwinski.
Frankly, the game launch wasn’t good enough, and perhaps many gamers lost faith in CDPR. However, we strongly believe there is more to come from Cyberpunk 2077 where CDPR won’t abandon such a huge project that was supposed to garner some 30 million sales in its first year (currently estimated at around 14 million+). Sure, CDPR made a lot of money already from the project (despite their share value rallying then tanking), but we genuinely believe they want to readdress the balance.
The game simply wasn’t ready for its December 10th 2020 launch date despite slipping several times from an original release date earlier in the same year.
Cue 2022, and it’s widely known that CDPR plan to release next-gen versions of their game (that’s Xbox Series X and PS5) within the first quarter, although this release period may slip too.
We strongly believe CDPR may plan to relaunch the game on those systems but free from the shackles of the underperforming last-gen versions. We don’t expect a massive campaign to rival the original launch but something that will garner interest. They have spent the best part of a year since launch bringing those into a playable state, and having the PS4 version back on the Playstation Store has been a big milestone for them. In addition, those who upgrade from the last-gen versions to next-gen get the update at no additional cost which is fair enough.
Cyberpunk 2077 has an image problem though. It’s known for its glitches and the many memes that come from those. The company is ridiculed, but those with some understanding of game development might concede the corporate decisions led to the game being released in an unfinished state. We strongly believe CDPR aim to regain the trust of gamers. To do so though is going to take a lot which is why we think they will come out firing on all cylinders. This might be wishful thinking on our part, but it makes sense if they are to garner interest in their project once more and get those 15 million additional sales they expected.
We believe CDPR have teams working on new content for the game (free or otherwise). There was the multiplayer that seemingly got canned or production ceased. However, the acquisition of The Molasses Flood might be a hint that some new form of the game will be worked on. Perhaps, a redesign of their multiplayer plans? Either that, or they are freeing up resources to work on Cyberpunk 2077. Speculation from us obviously, but an interesting development all the same.
The Molasses Flood will be working in close cooperation with CD PROJEKT RED, but will keep their current identity and will not be merged with existing teams. The studio will be working on its own ambitious project which is based on one of CD PROJEKT’s IPs. Details about the project will be announced in the future.
CDPR press-release – 22/10/2021
We think when CDPR enter the fray once more with their Cyberpunk 2077 game, showcasing new features, better performance and a hint at additional content for next gen systems and PC, this will spark a far greater amount of interest in the game. The many gamers who proclaim to be “done” will likely come back into the fold, such is the way of the opinionated yet fickle gamer.
Either way, we might be rather optimistic, yet we can’t ignore the fact CDPR can still make a lot more money from this IP and would be foolish not to attempt that. We also appreciate that they won’t fall for the same mistakes of the past. Rather than make announcements to appease the corporate machine and impatient gamers, they are holding their cards close to their chest this time being totally tight-lipped. Stroll on 2022 as there are plenty of other games to keep us busy until then.
