Cyberpunk 2077: Why the screwed-up PS4 and Xbox version also hurts PC players

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Emma
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Cyberpunk 2077 is a technical fiasco on last-gen consoles. We explain why owners of the much better PC version will also suffer.

A very blurry picture, textures that sometimes take seconds to reload, repeated heavy frame rate drops to less than 20 FPS – there’s hardly anything left of the actual fascination of the RPG.

Now you might think: What do we PC gamers care! The release version is in a worse state than our review sample, which is why we have to devalue it by three points and deny the Platinum Award.

But it basically works and looks drop-dead gorgeous, at least on high-end systems, which is why PC gamers can enjoy the undeniable qualities of this role-playing heavyweight by far the best.

So (almost) everything is wonderful? Far from it, because the console fiasco will have serious consequences for us PC gamers as well, in my opinion. Some already now, some possibly only later.

Possible consequences for PC patches

Let’s start with the “already”: CD Projekt’s top priority now has to be fixing the biggest console issues to ensure at least a halfway decent playable experience on PS4 and Xbox One.

When someone prioritizes, it automatically means that other things have to be put on hold for now. And that usually always hits something where there are the least difficulties at the moment, so in the case of Cyberpunk 2077, the PC version. As a project manager, I would do the same.

Perhaps the technical console optimizations also allow for a slightly better frame rate on the PC on weaker systems. However, really significant optimizations or even “quality of life” improvements will have to take a back seat for the time being until CD Projekt gets a grip on the most serious PS4 and Xbox problems.

Here are some cyberpunk 2077 bugs and glitches

Possible consequences for DLCs and multiplayer

The severity of the technical problems on the consoles will, in my estimation, make it nearly impossible for CD Projekt to stick to the current (internal) schedule for the DLCs as well as the already announced multiplayer expansion.

Balancing weaknesses and minor graphics errors are usually easy to fix, but the texture lag and framerate drops on PS4 and Xbox One usually require deeper interventions in the engine and systems, which in turn can bring consequential problems, especially with such a complex overall construct as Cyberpunk 2077.

Resolving this will require additional effort and time from the entire team. Time that is lacking elsewhere – like in the work on DLCs and multiplayer expansion. Yes, CD Projekt may have priced this in a bit. I can’t imagine that the state of the console version completely surprises them now. But the extent of the problems probably is.

Because let’s be honest: CD Projekt has only made a name for itself lately as a master of planning and meeting deadlines. Accordingly, I would be very surprised if there are no delays with the DLCs.

 

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The end of the PC as lead platform?

Let’s get to the late consequences, and they could possibly be much more serious for PC gamers than just a few delays in patches and DLC. Because you can accuse CD Projekt of a lot of things, but certainly not a lack of love for the PC. Apart from Flight Simulator, there is currently no other game that pushes our favorite platform to its performance limits so nicely.

Instead of a few token reflections, we finally get comprehensive ray tracing that deserves the name and would not be possible in this quality even on the next-gen consoles. And in ultra-detail, we explore an opulent open world, where we understand with every step why it demands everything from even high-end systems. Instead of the PS4, the PC was finally the lead platform again… and CD Projekt is now paying a high price for that.

Most game developers make it easy for themselves: They take the PS4 version as a basis and then add additional effects and options for more powerful systems.

CD Projekt has apparently gone the opposite and far more complicated way: Get what they can out of the PC and then downscale it to the weaker platforms.

Exactly with this strategy they have now failed, which suggests the fear that the PS5 or Xbox Series X will set the tone for the next big project. They may still be modern and superior to many PCs now, but that will already look fundamentally different in three to four years. Cyberpunk 2077 took seven years to develop.

A special developer studio at a crossroads

I’m reading a lot of accusations on social media right now that fans are using double standards with Cyberpunk 2077 and that the criticism would have been much more severe with a game from EA or Activision. That may well be true, but the truth is that CD Projekt has worked hard to achieve this “double standard” in recent years. With DRM-free games, free DLCs, great price-performance ratios and exemplary community care.

But as long as it takes to earn trust, it can be destroyed just as quickly. For example, by not giving out test samples of the console versions before release, because you know exactly what to expect. And above all, by releasing a game on the PS4 and Xbox One for 70 euros that severely disappoints fans who have been waiting for years.

Will a similar redemption succeed with the disappointed PS4 and Xbox buyers of Cyberpunk? I have my doubts about that.

That’s why I think CD Projekt is at a crossroads now, and my biggest worry as a PC gamer is that they’ll take a wrong turn. Because cynically put, they could care less about the negative response in light of over eight million pre-orders and a phenomenal sales launch. The numbers fit, the investors will be satisfied, what do a few dissatisfied customers matter?

It’s quite possible that CD Projekt will answer this question in purely economic terms. And it wouldn’t be the first time that this fundamentally changes the external perception of a developer studio – PC gamers in particular remember the developments at Bioware, Blizzard or Bethesda all too well in recent years.