Cyberpunk 2077 is arguably the most famous game in recent memory. After several delays, it launched in an almost unplayable state on most platforms, especially PS4 and Xbox One. Over the past two years, developer CD Projekt Red has released a slew of patches and updates that have made the title relatively playable on top gaming PCs, as well as PS5 and Xbox Series X. Now, the company has announced Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time. Expansion, Phantom Liberty.
The trailer in question sees Champion V being sworn in for America’s new presidency. Johnny Silverhand (played by Hollywood star Keanu Reeves), also returns.. Over the past two years, developer CD Projekt Re has released a slew of patches and updates that have made the title relatively playable on
We can applaud CD Projekt for keeping up to date with Cyberpunk 2077, and for trying to salvage the title. Phantom Liberty can be the kind of experience that CD Projekt promised during the game E3 2019 Official Film Trailer (Opens in a new tab). But even as someone who drowned nearly 100 hours into the PC version of Cyberpunk 2077, I have to wonder if this expansion can put the game on the right track. It could be quite a bit, too late.
broken trust
CD Projekt RED has become beloved in the video game industry thanks in large part to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. While The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was a huge success, the third installment pushed the video game adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels into the mainstream. Although it is based on the book series rather than games, the Netflix series The Witcher undoubtedly exists because of the popularity of The Witcher 3.
The massive popularity of The Witcher 3 contributed to the hype behind Cyberpunk 2077. You could argue that said hype was not deserved, considering that The Witcher 3 was CD Projekt Red’s only hit. However, expectations for Cyberpunk 2077 were astronomically high. Even if the game had been released in a solid state, it is doubtful that it would have lived up to what people have built in their heads. Of course, what actually happened was far worse than the title that simply failed.
We’ve documented a lot of the game’s history, including Cyberpunk 2077’s face-to-face class-action lawsuit, staff members detailing the game’s disastrous development, Steam players abandoning the game, the title’s return to the PlayStation Store after a six-month recall and a host of worst bugs. There is more, but this gives you an idea of what the game faced after launch.
Suffice it to say that I, and likely many others, will approach DLC with a healthy dose of skepticism. Once again, I really enjoyed Cyberpunk 2077 despite the many technical issues and the old open world design. I would probably play Phantom Liberty. But I will temper my expectations before diving in.
And even if Phantom Liberty were a good expansion, would that be enough to save the game? Anything related to this project, or being developed by the studio, will face intense scrutiny, whether warranted or unjustified. People love a good redemption story, but they might also enjoy seeing Cyberpunk 2077 take another critical defeat. If the DLC is universally praised, there may be a chance for redemption. But this chance seems slim.
Next generation only
Phantom Liberty is an expansion that only comes to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. I find this fact interesting, considering I said the game shouldn’t be coming to PS4 and Xbox One. In fact, one of the reasons CD Projekt Red postponed the game until December 10, 2020 was that I need extra time to play the title on last generation systems (Opens in a new tab).
Although the current generation versions of Cyberpunk 2077 had their fair share of technical errors at launch, they performed much better than their last generation counterparts. That’s not surprising, given the strength of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. But it justified my belief that Cyberpunk 2077 would have done better if it had only been launched on systems that can handle it. The ‘next-gen’ Phantom Liberty looks exactly like the right course of action.
Since Phantom Liberty is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, I’m curious to know what features, if any, the expansion might implement that can only be implemented on modern hardware.
prospects
Games like Sea of Thieves, No Man’s Sky, Rainbow Six Siege, and even Fallout 76 managed to overcome their rocky beginnings and eventually become hugely successful. In that sense, it’s not impossible for Cyberpunk 2077 to have its own recovery arc.
However, those other titles were multiplayer endeavors that constantly needed to renew themselves via expansions anyway. It’s true that The Witcher 3 has a long shelf life due to its many expansions. But most single player titles tend to fade and disappear soon after their appearance. Cyberpunk 2077 may buck this trend, but given its history, it seems unlikely. Confidence is not something that can be easily fixed, after all.
The Phantom Liberty expansion won’t be here for some time, which could work for Cyberpunk 2077. Perhaps knowing that the game is getting a significant additional functionality can motivate more people to buy the base game, thus building an audience that hasn’t seen a rocky launch for the game. The game is currently in an acceptable condition. But even new players have heard about the difficulties of Cyberpunk 2077. Its reputation is hard to escape.
Although I would love to see Cyberpunk 2077 rise from the ashes of proverbs, I doubt it will undo its troubled past. The history of the game is so well documented at this point that no one can enter without any preconceived ideas. To that end, I’ll pin my hopes on an entirely new batch instead. I think Cyberpunk 2077 is over.
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