Sony has been quite active recently, especially since the launch of its PlayStation 5 gaming console. Days after finalizing a mega buyout deal with AT&T involving the purchase of Crunchyroll anime online streaming service, it seems Sony is about to shell out even more money but for a whole different reason.
In case you’re wondering, we are talking about the controversial launch of Cyberpunk 2077 on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S gaming consoles. As a result of which Sony has removed Cyberpunk 2077 from the PS Store.
In news that has sent shockwaves throughout the gaming industry, Sony has announced the removal of Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store “until further notice” and stated that it will issue refunds to players who purchased the game for PS4 or on PS5, according to an IGN report.
The confirmation comes not long after Sony’s hesitation over releasing refunds for the half-baked game which is barely functional on its PlayStation consoles and instead directed players to CD Projekt Red support staff to address complaints or request a refund.
See More: Cyberpunk 2077 1.05 Hotfix Released For Xbox One And PS4 [Full Release Notes And Changelog]
Question about Sony’s approach to dealing with Cyberpunk 2077 marketing first started to rear their inquisitive head during the launch phase. The Japanese electronic company showed off advertising footage with PC graphics while withholding the PS version of the game from the media.
As it turns out, the kind of promotional tactics employed fall firmly in the realm of misleading potential customers and amount dangerously close to deception. This breach of trust becomes especially egregious when considering the fact that the game miserably fails to hold up on consoles and is riddled with performance issues – a far cry from the luscious visuals that were promised to players.
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On Sony’s website, the electronic publisher issued the following statement addressing the hot topic and issued a clarification pertaining to the steps they’re taking to handle Cyberpunk 2077 issue on the PlayStation platform. For now, this action is directed mainly at digital sales of Cyberpunk 2077, so if you happen to own a physical copy of the game you may want to contact your local retailer to ask for a refund.
SIE strives to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction, therefore we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store. SIE will also be removing Cyberpunk 2077 from PlayStation Store until further notice.
Once we have confirmed that you purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store, we will begin processing your refund. Please note that completion of the refund may vary based on your payment method and financial institution.
Immediately following Sony’s announcement, CD Projekt RED board released a statement regarding the delisting of Cyberpunk 2077 on Sony’s digital storefronts.
Subject: Temporary suspension of the availability of Cyberpunk 2077 on PlayStation Store
Legal basis: Art. 17 section 1 of the Market Abuse Regulation – inside information
The Management Board of CD PROJEKT S.A. with a registered office in Warsaw (hereinafter referred to as “the Company”) hereby publicly discloses the decision of Sony Interactive Entertainment (hereinafter referred to as “SIE”) to remove Cyberpunk 2077 from PlayStation Store until further notice. The decision was undertaken following our discussion with SIE regarding a full refund for all gamers who had purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store and want a refund at this time. All copies of the game previously purchased digitally on PlayStation Store remain available for use by their respective buyers.
Gamers can still buy physical versions of the game in retail and mail order stores. All copies, whether digital or physical, will continue to receive support and updates from the Company.
The Management Board of the Company has decided to publicly disclose this information in the form of a current report due to its potential influence on investment-related decisions.
To get a firsthand sense of how bad the game looks on PS4/PS4 Pro consoles, watch the Digital Foundry review with a full video showing the Cyberpunk 2077 performance on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro. As you can see that testing details highlight framerates are wonky, the crowd dispersed, cities deserted, visuals dismal, and the overall package far from the next-generation.
That being said, CD Projekt Red has confirmed that they will continuously release patches with performance fixes until Cyberpunk 2077 achieves the intended quality standard across all platforms and consoles. A patch is expected to be out before Christmas followed by two additional major patches already in the pipeline for the early part of 2021 that would help reach a satisfying level of performance as explained in an official statement below.
After the holidays, we’ll continue working — we’ll release two large patches starting with Patch #1 in January. This will be followed by Patch #2 in February. Together these should fix the most prominent problems gamers are facing on last-gen consoles. We will be informing you about the contents of each patch ahead of their release. They won’t make the game on last-gen look like it’s running on a high-spec PC or next-gen console, but it will be closer to that experience than it is now.
Cyberpunk is out on PC, Xbox consoles, and Google Stadia.