Cyberpunk 2077 is the most successful flop of all time. From being pulled from the PlayStation store, to getting an Anime Adaptation, Cyberpunk 2077 is still one of the biggest games in 2023. With the new expansion with version 2.0, I thought it fitting to take look back at the journey of this absolute sensation of a video game.

The sheer hype Cyberpunk 2077 generated before the release was unprecedented. Having developed classics such as The Witcher Series, the studio CD Projekt Red had taken on the monumental task of developing the game that was hyped up to be one of the most realistic games to date. Keanu Reeves’ role of a rockstar terrorist added on to the hype train. In retrospect, the game could never have lived up to the expectations of the fans.

Cyberpunk 2077 had one of the buggiest launches of game history. To say the game was received badly would be an understatement. The last-gen console version was so bad, it was pulled from sale on PlayStation. It was briefly a particularly dangerous game for players who are prone to seizures. Some investors were so miffed at how CD Projekt Red, the developing studio, handled the launch, they filed a class action lawsuit over the share price.

The overarching story and the world of Cyberpunk 2077 was overshadowed by the bugs, and the game was constantly clowned on by players and content creators. However, CD Projekt Red kept at it, unwavering, slowly but surely fixing the bugs of the game. 2 years later, fixing the bugs had been easy, getting the trust of the fans was not.

In September of 2022, an anime adaptation, an original story based in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 was released: Cyberpunk Edgerunners. The action-packed standalone story of the rogues of Night City was an instant hit with the audiences. Cyberpunk Edgerunners wasn’t just another video game adaptation, it was as much a passion project as it was a promotional piece for a game everyone had already written off. Following the release of the anime was a significant surge of downloads for the game, reigniting passion that once resided in a fanbase yearning for a dystopian teched-up world to explore.

CD Projekt Red’s stock price may not have recovered over the last three years, but Cyberpunk 2077 has. The big 2.0 patch was released to everyone for free, meanwhile, completely revamping the game progression system plus a new map expansion.

Three years, and an anime adaptation later, what does Cyberpunk 2077 have to offer in 2023? The game is a beautiful but depressing take on a dystopian future where big corporations rule every inch of your life, about a city that hates you. Night City is where we’re heading if we’re not careful. A city that never sleeps, covered from bottom to top with billboards, one more outrageous than the next. A city filled with cybernetically enhanced gangsters and drug-fueled bottom feeders; but also the everyman, just trying to get by, trying to keep out of trouble, despite what the city throws at them. A city where the only way to become a legend is to die trying. Cyberpunk 2077 is not just a tall tale, but a visually stunning work of art with a story that deserves to be heard.

Penned By:

Rtr. Aditha Abeynayake

Editorial Committee Member 23.24