Cyberpunk 2077 has broken records, for better or for worse. It is one of the fastest-selling video games in history, with more than 13 million copies sold only a month after its launch. It is also one of the most controversial video games in some time. In fact, the controversy surrounding the game’s launch seems to be hitting a high note after an uncertified class of investors filed a class action lawsuit in December 2020 against the game’s developer, CD Projekt Red (CDPR) to pursue an undisclosed amount of damages.
‘Cyberpunk’ Fails to Deliver on Performance Promises
According to the class action case, CDPR falsely advertised and marketed Cyberpunk 2077, which has been harshly criticized for its bugs and poor performance, especially on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming consoles. Countless players were shocked to boot up the game on its December 10th release date and while using the last-gen consoles and find that it looked unfinished. Visual elements – like character models and nearby structures – often loaded in so slowly that they looked like flat polygons for upwards of a minute. Keanu Reeves, who plays an integral character in the game’s plotline, sometimes looked unrecognizable due to the glitches despite his famous face. A gallery of undisclosed glitches could also crash the game, corrupt save files, or otherwise interrupt gameplay.
As the game was being developed and within a year before it was launched specifically, gameplay test footage was released, which showed the game looking clean, sharp, and “next-gen.” CDPR admitted that it released only footage from the game as it was run on high-grade PCs. At no point did it show how the game performed on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. There are also allegations that the game developer only allowed early reviews of the game to be done on gaming PCs, and that it instructed reviewers not to mention this restriction.
Players were so offended by the game’s performance and appearance that they demanded full refunds from retailers and online distributors. The PlayStation Store agreed that the game was not what it was advertised to be before announcing it would pull the game from its online store and refund players who bought the game digitally. This decision and those like it are what have investors furious enough to form a class action case against CDPR.
Unannounced Damages in the Class Action
At this time, the investor class bringing forth the class action lawsuit have not openly announced the amount of compensation it would like to be paid by CD Projekt Red. The argument is that the developer’s allegedly misleading marketing strategies triggered the widespread refunds of the game, as well as tarnished the game’s chances of future sales on any platform. The plaintiffs argue that they have lost significant finances through lost or refunded sales and that CDPR should make up for those losses.
There could be a good chance that the class action is successful because it is not the only one of its kind. CDPR is also being sued by a class of shareholders and investors in Poland for similar reasons. Faced with international pressure to admit some sort of liability, it is not known how far the developer plans to go to defend themselves and their game, which has still been able to garner plenty of critical and player-base acclaim despite its apparent shortcomings.
Golomb Legal, P.C. is a premier consumer class action law firm with more than $2 billion in verdicts and settlements achieved for clients throughout our years of practice. If you are an investor who might have lost significant funds due to the rocky release of Cyberpunk 2077, then we want to hear from you. Although we are headquartered in Pennsylvania, we can help clients across the country form or join important class action cases. Call (215) 278-4449">(215) 278-4449 or contact us online now.