CD Projekt Red Admits Cyberpunk 2077 Recovery Isn’t Enough

CD Projekt Red says Cyberpunk 2077’s commercial turnaround has not fully repaired the trust lost during its troubled 2020 launch. That comes despite years of updates and strong sales for the role-playing game (RPG). At an Edge In Person session during DevGAMM Gdańsk, CD Projekt Red co-CEO, Michał Nowakowski, stated that the studio still has work to do in rebuilding player trust.

Cyberpunk 2077 was released in December 2020 after three delays and quickly became one of the most scrutinized launches in modern gaming. The RPG shipped with major technical issues across consoles and PC, prompting widespread refunds, investor lawsuits, and its removal from the Sony PlayStation Store.

However, CD Projekt Red spent the next six months releasing patches. The game returned to the storefront in June 2021, with the studio calling its performance satisfying at the time.

Cyberpunk 2077 Sales and Steam Recovery Reshaped its Standing

In the years since, large-scale updates have transformed the game’s reception. Cyberpunk 2077 now holds an 88% positive rating on Valve’s Steam. CD Projekt Red also confirmed in 2025 that the game had sold 35M copies, reaching that milestone faster than The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Even with that turnaround, Nowakowski noted that the studio’s “redemption arc” remains incomplete. He described the launch period as “heartbreaking” and said CD Projekt Red’s reputation had always been its greatest asset.

According to him, Cyberpunk 2077’s turnaround has not fully closed the chapter on its troubled launch, with some player trust likely gone for good.

The Witcher 4 and Unreal Engine Mark CDPR’s Next Chapter

The studio is now moving forward with The Witcher 4, alongside multiple other projects, including a remake of the original Witcher, Project Sirius, Project Hadar, and Cyberpunk 2. The next Witcher title also marks CD Projekt Red’s (CDPR) shift from its proprietary Red Engine to Unreal Engine 5. Nowakowski stated that the move was necessary to reduce development complexity and improve long-term output.

Nowakowski said CD Projekt Red hopes its upcoming releases can help rebuild the trust lost with Cyberpunk 2077’s launch.

He stressed the studio’s long-term focus remains on making fewer, meaningful games “with a soul” rather than flooding the market. That puts The Witcher 4 in a critical position as the company’s next major test of whether that trust can be fully restored.