As disappointing as the launch of Cyberpunk was, we as gamers were reminded of an important lesson: AAA studios have let us down, turn after turn. For those unfamiliar with the term AAA game studio, it’s a big budget video game studio. Basically, their goal is to create video game blockbuster hits, and they have the large budget to do so. However, even with that budget, there have been noticeable flops recently. While Cyberpunk is not the first game to have a rough launch (see Fall 76 and Marvel Avengers), it has become a lightning rod for all the frustration that gamers have with AAA companies. This game (like many others before it) got the full media package and had high pre-orders. Unfortunately, it was only successful at getting money from players and little else.
I remember when the Cyberpunk 2077 trailer dropped, 8 years ago, gamers were hyped. It looked exciting and it was coming from the studio that brought you The Witcher series, CD Projekt Red. From that point, each subsequent trailer or behind the scenes look increased interest and expectations. These feelings were properly stoked with an excellent media team: you could tweet at CD Projekt Red or watch the Night City Wire (live streaming gameplay). Despite that, on Dec 10th, the game I played was anything but what was advertised. But let’s step back and have an honest reflection. As gamers, we have a passion for games and the way they connect us or immerse us in a new world. We love the ways that dev teams push the envelope and bring to life new and engaging ideas. We don’t really thrive on the failure of games. When a game fails, it sucks for us. It sucks because we missed out on a story that we were promised and it sucks because we wasted upwards of $60.
To make matters worse, games like Avengers and Cyberpunk 2077 continue making updates to the games extending almost into next year. As a gamer, what that means to me is this: I could have waited to buy this game several months after it were released. It’s that realization that makes me the most frustrated. Why would you set a release date if the game you’re going to release isn’t going to work when I purchase it? Especially for studio like CD Projekt Red, who advertised they would release the game “When it’s ready”
Frustrations aside, my new goal is to spread this message: Wait to buy any AAA games. I’m making the commitment to wait 5 months after any AAA game has dropped before I purchase it, and never pre-ordering. Put the industry on notice, let them know that we want a finished product. If they’re committed to releasing something when it’s finished then we’ll get it, when it really is. I know this seems like a small ask, but with enough people behind this, we could affect the way companies develop and sell us games. We have to demand this change, and hit the companies where it hurts: their pockets.
