Cyberpunk 2077 Issues Lead to $1 Billion Loss for Founders

Cyberpunk 2077's post-launch woes have had a significant impact on developer CD Projekt Red's [...]

Cyberpunk 2077's post-launch woes have had a significant impact on developer CD Projekt Red's stock, and its led to a billion-dollar loss for the company's four founders. According to Bloomberg, Marcin Iwinski, Adam Kicinski, Piotr Nielubowicz, and Michal Kicinski collectively own 34% of CD Projekt Red. Their stake in the company is now worth $3 billion, following a bug-filled launch, and accusations that the company intentionally misled those purchasing the game on consoles. Negative reception to the game has also resulted in CD Projekt Red cutting its sales estimates for the game, from 30 million to 25.6 million copies.

It will be interesting to see what impact post-launch patches and improvements might have on the game's perception. Cyberpunk 2077 is hardly the first game to release with major issues, and publishers have been able to change that perception, with a strong amount of effort. Star Wars: Battlefront II released to heavy criticism when players discovered that lootboxes gave players with deeper pockets a heavier advantage. EA instituted changes following heavy criticism, and the game ended up becoming a fan favorite, over time.

It remains to be seen whether or not CD Projket Red will be able to similarly improve perceptions surrounding Cyberpunk 2077. It's clear that the version available on PlayStation and Xbox platforms is a far cry from the one released on PC, but it seems that the company will be working to improve that over the next several months. The game has clearly had a negative impact on the company's perception, but it's not too late to turn things around. If there's enough will from the company to fix things, perhaps the narrative surrounding Cyberpunk 2077 will shift.

CD Projekt Red has become one of the biggest video game companies in Europe, and the company developed a strong reputation in a relatively short amount of time. Unfortunately, a lot of that has been significantly damaged over the last week. If the company's founders truly want to turn things around, they will have to work towards rebuilding the trust of gamers.

Cyberpunk 2077 is now available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and Google Stadia. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.

Have you played Cyberpunk 2077 on console? What are your thoughts on the game? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all things gaming!

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