CD Projekt Red Halts Cyberpunk 2077 Multiplayer, to Stop Advertising so Early

CD Projekt Red was flying high after the release of The Witcher 3, and everyone was convinced they could do no wrong. Then Cyberpunk 2077 came out, and we learned quickly that they were, indeed, not gods: they were capable of failure, and fail they did. While I might not exactly call it a “fall from grace” for the entire company (they didn’t exactly have a lot of grace to spare, considering their policies on crunch), it was certainly the culmination of quite a few mistakes, and in an investment call held the other day, CD Projekt Red assured its investors that they’ve since learned their lesson… and they’re revamping their strategy to prove it.

Specifically, they said they’d be doing two things: first, they’re going to stop advertising games so dang early. Part of the reason Cyberpunk 2077 was so hyped was because people had such a long time to get excited for it, and reducing time spent marketing should hopefully help manage expectations.

However, the next thing they’re doing might be a wee bit controversial: it appears they’re canning the once long-awaited Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer game.
 

"Previously we hinted that our next triple-A would be a multiplayer Cyberpunk game, but we have decided to reconsider this plan. Given our new, more systematic and agile approach, instead of primarily focusing on one big online experience or game, we are focusing on bringing online into all of our franchises one day. We are building an online technology that can be seamlessly integrated into development of our future games… CD Projekt Red makes singleplayer, story-driven, triple-A RPGs. What is changing is our long-term approach to online. By this, we mean ensuring we are properly prepared to implement online elements in our games where they make sense. We don't have to go overboard, or lose our singleplayer DNA. We want to take thoughtful steps to build robust online capabilities."

I don’t think many people are going to be crying crocodile tears over the loss of the multiplayer game, and in fact, CD Projekt Red shouldn’t have been advertising it so early anyway, as they themselves have admitted. But with it gone, the future of CD Projekt Red is back to being one big ol’ question mark. And while I might try to speculate as to what’s next for them… it’d kind of defeat the purpose if I did, wouldn’t it?