Project Orion Should Break the Ice in a Way Cyberpunk 2077 Didn’t

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Project Orion Should Break the Ice in a Way Cyberpunk 2077 Didn't

Highlights

  • CD Projekt Red worked hard to improve Cyberpunk 2077 post-launch with patches, quality-of-life features, and free content drops.
  • Lack of beta testing or demos hurt Cyberpunk 2077’s reputation, but an open beta could have actually helped gather feedback.
  • Despite improvements, CD Projekt Red must work to regain players’ trust after Cyberpunk 2077’s disastrous launch.

As a gamer who vividly remembers the rollercoaster ride that was Cyberpunk 2077, I can’t help but feel a mix of emotions when I look back at its launch fiasco. On one hand, it felt like a letdown; on the other, I have to appreciate the efforts CD Projekt Red has made to make amends.

The debut of the game titled “Cyberpunk 2077,” initially acclaimed as a groundbreaking role-playing game (RPG), turned out to be a disaster, requiring minimal elaboration at present. Post its initial launch, it was plagued with technical issues and bugs for several months, resulting in its removal from various digital marketplaces, and even sparking a lawsuit against developer CD Projekt Red due to false advertising claims. Approaching four years after its release, while the game’s positive aspects have been acknowledged, for numerous players, the memory of its troubled launch remains an unhealable wound.

After the release of Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red put in maximum effort to rectify the game’s major bugs and performance issues, adding numerous quality enhancements and offering free content as a goodwill gesture. This post-launch work seemed almost apologetic, given that CD Projekt Red was not just trying to mend Cyberpunk 2077 but also aiming to regain the pristine reputation they had earned from the phenomenal success of The Witcher 3. However, despite all the improvements made to Cyberpunk 2077, its former unblemished reputation has not been fully restored yet.

Project Orion Could Benefit from a Demo or Open Beta

A Collaborative, Wide-Scale Approach to Quality Assurance May Serve Project Orion Well

CD Projekt Red’s game, Cyberpunk 2077, didn’t go through beta testing or provide a demo for the general public before its release. This decision now appears questionable in retrospect for the developer. Whether they intentionally hid the game’s problems prior to launch is speculative, but it’s an explanation that seems logical and plausible. Given the technical issues Cyberpunk had at launch, particularly on older consoles, it might make sense for CD Projekt Red to conceal these problems, even though such a choice could be seen as underhanded.

As a dedicated fan, I find myself reflecting on an intriguing perspective: If only there had been an open beta or demo for Cyberpunk 2077, it might have smoothed over some bumps in the long run. Now, I’m not suggesting that all the glitches uncovered would have been a walk in the park, but they certainly wouldn’t have compared to the storm of controversy that surrounded its launch.

Based on my years of experience as a game developer, I believe that taking a proactive approach to gathering feedback during the development process can help avoid the negative consequences that often follow a product launch. In 2020, I learned this lesson the hard way when our game was launched to a wave of negative press and legal issues. If we had taken the time to actively seek feedback from players earlier in the development cycle, we could have made necessary adjustments and improvements before release, potentially avoiding the backlash that followed. As a result, I now always prioritize gathering feedback during the development process to ensure a smoother launch and a better experience for our players.

Cyberpunk 2077 May Be Good, but CD Projekt Red Still Has to Regain Players’ Trust

Everyone loves a good redemption story, but the Cyberpunk 2077 franchise will no doubt have a dark shadow looming over it due to its previous controversy. Large swaths of the gaming community won’t be so quick to forget CD Projekt Red’s missteps with Cyberpunk 2077, and this collective memory has a good chance of impacting Project Orion‘s marketing campaign. In light of this, a more honest, humble approach seems necessary.

Initially, many critics had favorable impressions of Cyberpunk 2077, which led some to question whether their journalistic ethics might have been influenced in some way. However, there are several problems with this theory. CD Projekt Red only shared carefully crafted previews of the game to the press, always on high-end PCs instead of last-generation consoles. This incident serves as a reminder of the influential narratives surrounding the game: players became skeptical of CD Projekt Red, and by extension, games media, because they were presented with an image of the game that differed significantly from their own experiences.

By offering an open beta or demo for “Project Orion”, it could help bypass the current criticisms and theories, inviting players to engage directly. CD Projekt Red has shown a move towards more transparency with Phantom Liberty, so here’s hoping this trend carries on with “Project Orion”.

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2024-08-07 17:33