![]() ![]() However, Microsoft acquired ZeniMax for $7.5 billion in September 2020 so they may not be in a rush to do another big acquisition.Īn acquisition of CD Projekt would be a risky bet. Prior to the launch of Cyberpunk 2077, Microsoft was frequently mentioned as a potential purchaser of CD Projekt. This was clearly the case where the marketing and publishing of a larger company would have worked wonders. The company now becomes one to watch as an acquisition candidate. Unfortunately, CD Projekt’s reputation has been tarnished. There will be opportunities to rerelease the game for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X. The bugs should eventually be fixed ,and many consumers are still interested. The irony is that while CD Projekt’s reputation has been stained, Cyberpunk 2077 is likely to still be a huge long-term success. A larger public company would have been able to avoid this with basic public relations and marketing. This is unacceptable for a company launching a flagship, defining product. Of course, it would have been nice if reviewers, analyst, and distributors had also been made aware of the issue.ĬD Projekt stock dropped 50% in December. However, they want to be told upfront that they are playing an unfinished product. In today’s market video game consumers are smart and willing to accept early access to games filled with bugs. However, releasing the console versions filed with bugs would have even been okay if consumers knew what they were getting into. Obviously delaying the game or just releasing the PC version would have been the best step. What stands out is that the entire fiasco could have been avoided with some basic marketing and public relations. Post release reviews have been corrected and now on Metacritic the PC version ranks substantially higher than the console versions. However, it turns out most reviewers were playing the PC version, not the bug-ridden console versions. The initial reviews for Cyberpunk 2077 were stellar. The seal basically assures that console products are not filled with bugs and glitches. Launching a game for console systems requires a seal of approval from the manufacturer, in this case Sony and Microsoft. On December 9, 2020, a day before the launch, DFC did a call with over 100 institutional investors where we stated that it looked like Cyberpunk 2077 lived up to its reputation and was going to be one of the biggest video game launches of all-time. In an investor call in September, DFC Intelligence expressed skepticism that Cyberpunk 2077 would launch in 2020. In addition, there are the distributors, including retailers, Warner Bros, Bandai Namco, as well as Microsoft and Sony, who certified Cyberpunk 2077 for launch on their platforms. The longer term impact is on the media, reviewers, and analysts who supported the game. Of course, consumers were disappointed, but they were offered refunds and patches should eventually fix many issues. Lots of people got burned by the poor quality of Cyberpunk 2077. Up until the day of launch everything looked like the game was finished and lived up to its reputation. The problem with Cyberpunk 2077 was its poor launch took everyone by surprise. Bugs can be fixed in after launch patches. The big issue is not that the game was filled with bugs. The pressure was on CD Projekt to get the game out the door and the final release was filled with bugs, especially for the console versions.ĬD Projekt has been forced to apologize and more importantly for investors the stock has been hammered and class action lawsuits are in the works. Unfortunately, it is clear that the game was simply not ready. Originally Cyperpunk 2077 was scheduled to launch in April 2020, it was moved to September, November and finally December 10, 2020, when it actually launched. Anticipation for this game was huge, especially after it took away multiple game awards at E3 2018. The company’s big new release was Cyberpunk 2077 which has been in development for years. Gwent: The Witcher Card Game launched in 2018 but had limited impact. Outside of the Witcher franchise, CD Projekt’s track record is limited. In 2015, CD Projekt’s fortunes soared with the launch of The Witcher 3. In 2007 they published The Witcher based on a Polish series of novels. However, CD Projekt was also getting into game development. ![]() At the time our focus was entirely on the distribution angle. DFC did an analysis of the GOG and CD Projekt back in 2009. Good Old Games was designed as a digital distribution service for PC games along the lines of Steam. The company has been around for many years, but DFC Intelligence first became interested in them when they launched Good Old Games/GOG.com back in 2008. CD Projekt, based in Poland, is the developer and publisher of Cyberpunk 2077. ![]()
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