CD Projekt Red’s Leader Aims to Address Cyberpunk 2077’s Troubled Launch Issues

The PlayStation 4 launch of Cyberpunk 2077 was such a disaster that Sony removed it from digital stores, and CD Projekt Red even offered refunds to players. This situation resembled a product recall more than a typical game launch. The studio’s joint-CEO believes they are still grappling with the damage to their reputation from this rocky release.

“I’m not 100 percent convinced we went through the full redemption arc,” Michał Nowakowski, who has been with CDPR since 2005, recently shared. “I’m convinced that we lost the faith of some people indefinitely, and that’s a fair thing. But I do hope we will be able to make it back—if not with The Witcher 4, then with whatever comes next.”

This might surprise fans who thought that Phantom Liberty, the significant 2023 expansion for Cyberpunk 2077, marked the end of the studio’s redemption arc, along with the game’s other updates. While the initial launch was plagued with bugs and missing features, the ongoing support for Cyberpunk 2077 has shown that CDPR remains skilled at delivering post-launch content for single-player experiences.

The Witcher 4 currently lacks a release date, with late 2027 being the earliest fans might anticipate the next installment based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novels, though that timeline seems a bit optimistic. Given the “heartbreaking” period at CDPR following Cyberpunk 2077’s launch, it’s likely the studio will wait until they are completely confident in The Witcher 4 before releasing it, which may also lead to a cross-gen launch.

Perhaps this is why The Witcher 3 is set to receive one more surprise expansion in 2027. Songs of the Past will not only connect the events between the 2015 game and its upcoming sequel but also give CDPR additional time to fulfill the promise of The Witcher 4. If they can execute a successful launch, it may help restore what Nowakowski describes as the studio’s “biggest asset”: its reputation and the trust of players.