Cyberpunk 2077 as Seen by DFC - CD Projekt Susceptible to Takeover
DFC Intelligence Group published an article about Cyberpunk 2077. Analysts point out that not the best debut of the game put CD Projekt in a vulnerable position, and the studio could be taken over by another publisher.
- DFC Intelligence Group analytics believe that after the controversial launch of Cyberpunk 2077 CD Projekt is now an ideal candidate for acquisition by another publisher;
- The article also points out the reasons for the game's cold reception and how CD Projekt could prepare players for its technical condition.
The period shortly after the launch of Cyberpunk 2077 was like a beautiful dream before reality hit like a ton of bricks. The new work by the creators of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, commonly cited as one of the best titles available on 8th-gen consoles, was undoubtedly the most anticipated game of 2020 and seemed like a surefire hit. Unfortunately, while the title is undoubtedly enjoyable in many ways, the trip to Night City ultimately dashed players' hopes with too many shortcomings. The mood is also not improved by subsequent reports from behind the scenes.
This unsuccessful debut may have far-reaching consequences. Analysts from DFC Intelligence Group even claim that CD Projekt Red has become a good candidate for takeover by another company. The article also discusses the reasons for such a poor reception of Cyberpunk 2077.
Cyberpunk 2077 expectations vs. reality
At first glance, writing about the reasons for the poor reception of Cyberpunk 2077 may seem like missing the point, because the matter seems obvious. The main culprit were technical inadequacies, which are less of a problem (albeit still visible) on PC, but more of a disaster on consoles. There are also allegations of missing content. Nevertheless, everything boils down to more or less irritating bugs, due to which Cyberpunk 2077 was practically unplayable on 8th-gen platforms on the day of its release.
- Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 is a Disaster. We Were Supposed to Burn City, not Consoles (PS4 Review)
- Cyberpunk 2077 Review - Samurai, You've Got a Great RPG to Play! (PC Review)
However, DFC Intelligence points out that Cyberpunk 2077's troubles are not only due to its disastrous technical condition, but also from the contrast with - seemingly - justified expectations. The article reminds us that the game has been certified by Sony and Microsoft, as well as Warner Bros. and Bandai Namco (responsible for distributing the game in selected countries). CD Projekt RED itself hasn't said a word about the problems, save for a reference to "wanting to refine the console releases" in explaining the recent delay. As a result, in December the pre-release euphoria (or "hype", if you prefer) was shared even by DFC analysts, even though back in September they doubted that Cyberpunk 2077 would actually launch in 2020.
When PR and marketing fail
In this context, DFC's article highlights an important issue that spelled doom for Cyberpunk 2077's reception. According to analysts, gamers can be very forgiving when it comes to issues with their games. Just look at the popularity of early access titles, which are almost always associated with the presence of a hefty army of bugs and the lack of various critical element. There's just one "but": buyers (and distributors) must be informed of the game's current state before purchase. CD Projekt RED didn't do that, and - as we wrote above - the studio didn't even hint that there would be any problems beyond typical teething problems. In this situation, it's hard to be surprised by gamers' disappointment.
DFC also points to other actions which may not have prevented the disaster, but at least limited collateral damage. CD Projekt could have released the title only on PC, since the game performs noticeably better on PC than on consoles. They could have warned gamers, reviewers, etc. that the PS4 and XONE editions still leave a lot to be desired (PS5 and XSX/S are practically the same version; the next-gen update won't come until the end of the year). However, that's not what happened.
Who'd like some CD Projekt stock?
According to DFC, CD Projekt's value dropped by 50% in December, which would be disastrous for any company, let alone one releasing a new, highly anticipated product. It could still be a success if the announced updates fix the most serious problems, because despite this failure many players have expressed a desire to check out Cyberpunk 2077 at a later date.
But the consequences for CD Projekt itself are much more serious, as neither gamers nor investors will forget this failure. In addition - as we mentioned at the beginning of the text - the drop in the value of company's stocks makes it a good deal for large publishers.
But who could take the risk of buying a developer, which - although significantly cheaper - would still cost the buyer a lot of money? DFC analysts exclude Microsoft, as the Redmond giant has just spenta fortune on the purchase of ZeniMax and its subsidiary Bethesda. Another thing is that before the debut of Cyberpunk 2077 both companies seemed to be on good terms. It was at Microsoft's conference that we saw Keanu Reeves. In addition, Xbox's Phil Spencer announced (and he wasn't the only one) "taking up" more creators, as well as the desire to add more nararative single-player game to the offer of Xbox Game Pass.
Of course, this is just speculation. However, the conclusions drawn by DFC analysts should be treated more seriously than the reports of even the most respectable insiders (not to mention the typical rumors from 4chan or Reddit). As to whether someone will actually be tempted to buy CD Projekt - time will tell.
