Cyberpunk 2077 may finally be coming full circle as it has belatedly switched the narrative on its success.
The game is now the number 3 top selling game on Steam, next to Slime Rancher 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Cyberpunk 2077 also comes up among the top selling games on GOG, so this is not based on any particular vendor and is more likely indicative of the game’s overall success.
This is a completely different update from the news yesterday that Cyberpunk 2077 has picked up 1 million new players every day for this week. These numbers are similar, if not exceeding, the numbers of players that the game had in its original launch in December 2020. As we had noted in our coverage of this only yesterday, it was an increase in players of over 110 %.
The renewed interest is being frequently attributed to Cyberpunk Edgerunners, a 10 episode anime series on Netflix that premiered just last September 13, 2022. The anime actually has a different flavor from Cyberpunk 2077. in spite of being based in the same universe. Rather than seeing a connection between the media, this may simply be a reflection for increased interest in the Cyberpunk universe in general.
However, there is something being lost in that conversation. CD Projekt RED also recently published new DLC for Cyberpunk 2077, Phantom Liberty. In this new story DLC, V (AKA your player character) takes the oath to join the New United States of America. This story is set in a different part of Night City, and will take more of a spy thriller narrative. For fans who already played through the game, there actually substantial new content for them to experience, outside of starting the game over or finishing smaller side missions.
A lot has already been said about Cyberpunk 2077‘s woes, leading to the conclusion that the franchise may never fully reach its potential, but CD Projekt RED deserves a lot of credit for making this comeback even possible. Other failed big money projects had been abandoned or paused after their fall, and it looked like Cyberpunk 2077 was going to share that fate. However, CD Projekt RED were true to their word about fixing the issues that had plagued the game, and decided to let the marketing speak ramp down, in favor of just allowing the game’s fixes to speak for itself.
You could have blinked and missed it, but as recently as last April 14, 2022, CD Projekt RED had announced that Cyberpunk 2077 had sold 18 million units. It’s likely that this fell short of the company’s original expectations, but on its own, it is a significant achievement, especially having done so at this point in time when game console sales themselves were adversely affected by low supply.
So, it may seem that all of this turning around is happening quickly, but it was actually getting set up within the past few months. As unlikely as it sounds, Cyberpunk 2077 proves the old axiom that slow and steady wins the race.
Source: TheGamer
