CD Projekt Red, the Polish developer behind The Witcher III and the recent Cyberpunk 2077, has had a rough few months. After the mainstream backlash against their cyber-dystopian release, CDPR reported that a hacking group infiltrated their servers and stole their employee information and source code for their games. The publisher also promised major patches for Cyberpunk 2077 in the early part of the year, plans that have now been stymied by the hack, according to the developer.
While we dearly wanted to deliver Patch 1.2 for Cyberpunk 2077 in the timespan we detailed previously, the recent cyber attack on the studio’s IT infrastructure and extensive scope of the update mean this unfortunately will not happen — we’ll need some additional time. 1/3
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) February 24, 2021
The Twitter account goes on to say, “Our goal for Patch 1.2 goes beyond any of our previous updates. We’ve been working on numerous overall quality improvements and fixes, and we still have work to do to make sure that’s what you get. With that in mind, we’re now aiming for release in the second half of March.”
First, let’s start with the fact that this is the most cyberpunk thing to happen to Cyberpunk 2077. It is a mission that could be pulled straight from the game, taking a game publisher’s source code to sell on the internet and delaying their game because of it. It would probably be a really boring side quest, but it would just help it fit in with the rest of the game.
One issue I think CDPR has had throughout the run of Cyberpunk 2077’s marketing is an inability, or desire not to, manage expectations. Delaying a patch until it’s ready is good! Telling people that the patch goes beyond previous updates, maybe don’t do that unless you’re really sure it delivers on that promise. When your co-founder has to record a video apologizing for the state of the game and admits they thought they could fix it up in the few weeks before release, I am not sure it is wise to hype up the next patch a few weeks before release.
Cyberpunk 2077 is currently available on Xbox One, PC, Stadia, and PlayStation 4, though the PS4 version is still not on sale on PSN, so only physical copies can be purchased at the moment.
