By Nana Muazin 
Nearly four years after the chaotic debut of Cyberpunk 2077, the scars of that launch remain visible within the halls of CD Projekt Red. While the studio has successfully steered its futuristic RPG from the brink of catastrophe to critical acclaim, the leadership remains acutely aware that the path to full public forgiveness is not merely a matter of patches and updates, but a profound shift in corporate identity.
In a recent interview with Edge’s Knowledge newsletter, CD Projekt Red’s joint CEO, Michał Nowakowski, offered a candid assessment of the studio’s standing. His admission—that he is "not 100 percent convinced we went through the full redemption arc"—serves as a sobering reminder that for a brand whose primary currency was its reputation for quality, the road to rebuilding trust is a marathon, not a sprint.
A Chronicle of Collapse: The 2020 Catastrophe
To understand the weight of Nowakowski’s comments, one must revisit the atmosphere of December 2020. Cyberpunk 2077, arguably the most anticipated game in industry history, arrived with the weight of eight years of marketing and hype. When it finally reached players, the reality was starkly different from the promise.
On base consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the game was functionally broken. Frame rates plummeted, assets failed to load, and the title was riddled with game-breaking bugs that rendered the experience nearly unplayable. The public backlash was immediate and unprecedented.
The Fallout
The financial and reputational damage rippled outward in waves:
- The Sony Intervention: In an almost unprecedented move, Sony Interactive Entertainment pulled the digital version of Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store and offered full, no-questions-asked refunds to players—bypassing their standard digital return policies.
- Legal Action: The company faced a class-action lawsuit from investors who alleged that CD Projekt Red misled shareholders regarding the game’s state on last-generation consoles.
- The Erosion of Trust: For years, CD Projekt Red was viewed as the "good guys" of the industry, fueled by the massive success of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The 2020 launch shattered that image, transforming the studio into a cautionary tale about corporate over-promising and the dangers of "crunch" culture.
The Turning Point: From ‘Broken’ to ‘Masterpiece’
While the initial launch was a disaster, the subsequent three years represent one of the most successful turnaround stories in gaming history. Through a series of aggressive updates—most notably the 2.0 overhaul—and the critically lauded expansion Phantom Liberty, the studio clawed its way back into the good graces of the gaming community.
The turnaround culminated in a remarkable milestone: roughly a month after the release of Phantom Liberty, Cyberpunk 2077 boasted a "Very Positive" rating on Steam, with 95 percent of over 7,000 recent reviews praising the game. Associate Game Director Paweł Sasko, a figure who became the public face of the game’s improvement efforts, admitted that while he always believed the team could reach this level of quality, he had moments of genuine doubt that the audience would ever truly forgive the rocky start.
Corporate Resilience and "Battle-Hardened" Leadership
Nowakowski’s reflection in the Edge newsletter highlights a transition within the studio’s internal culture. He describes the current staff as "seasoned, battle-hardened veterans." The trauma of the Cyberpunk 2077 launch forced the studio to re-evaluate its internal processes, its management hierarchy, and its communication strategy with fans.
The CEO acknowledges that some segments of the audience may have moved on permanently, and he treats that loss as an inevitable consequence of the studio’s past mistakes. "I’m convinced that we lost the faith of some people indefinitely, and that’s a fair thing," Nowakowski stated. "But I do hope we will be able to make it back—if not with The Witcher 4, then with whatever comes next."
The Future: A New Philosophy for CD Projekt Red
As the studio shifts its focus toward the next entry in The Witcher franchise (currently codenamed Project Polaris), the lessons of the past are clearly informing their long-term roadmap. The studio is moving away from the "all hands on deck" model that led to the Cyberpunk crunch and toward a more sustainable development cycle.
Strategic Shifts
- Sustainable Growth: The studio has no desire to become a factory. "Our dream is to be making more games, although we never want to turn into the studio that’s going to be launching a big game every year," Nowakowski explained.
- Controlled Expansion: Despite having a "rough ten-year rolling plan," the leadership is explicit about not wanting to flood the market with titles. They aim to maintain a boutique-like focus on quality over quantity.
- IP Stewardship: There is a clear intention to avoid over-diversification. By focusing on their core strengths—deep, narrative-driven RPGs set within their existing, established worlds—the studio hopes to regain the stability that made them an industry powerhouse in the first place.
Implications for the Industry
The story of CD Projekt Red serves as a litmus test for the modern gaming industry. It poses a fundamental question: Can a studio recover from a "materially misleading" launch if they provide enough post-launch support?
The data suggests that gamers are willing to forgive, but they are increasingly wary of pre-release marketing. The industry has seen a rise in "wait and see" consumer behavior, partly due to the Cyberpunk incident. Developers are now under higher scrutiny than ever before, and the margin for error has narrowed significantly.
For CD Projekt Red, the challenge of The Witcher 4 is not just to produce a great game, but to produce a flawless one. If the studio can launch a massive, open-world project without the technical instability that plagued their previous title, it may finally mark the end of their redemption arc.
Conclusion: The Long Road Ahead
Nowakowski’s honesty is refreshing in an industry often defined by carefully manicured press releases. By admitting that the redemption arc is not yet "full," the studio is setting a high bar for its own future output. They are essentially telling their player base: We know what you think of us, and we are still working to prove that we are better than our worst moments.
Whether or not the studio ever fully regains the "unconditional" trust they once enjoyed remains to be seen. However, by focusing on sustainability, learning from their "battle-hardened" experiences, and committing to a slow-burn strategy rather than a rapid-fire release schedule, CD Projekt Red is positioning itself to be a more mature, reliable, and grounded entity.
The redemption arc, it seems, is not a destination, but a state of constant improvement. As the studio looks toward the snowy landscapes of the next Witcher title, the industry will be watching closely—not just to see if the game is fun, but to see if the studio has finally mastered the art of keeping its promises.
Suro Senen 
Siti Muinah 
Ali Ikhwan 