Cyberpunk 2077's launch has been the kind of disaster we now expect from 2020. Released on Dec. 10, the ridiculously hyped roleplaying game was swiftly and widely derided for having more bugs than the Montreal Insectarium, with flying cars and glitchy penises dominating the discourse. Now, Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that not only will it offer refunds to anyone who bought the game from its PlayStation Store, it will also stop selling Cyberpunk 2077 altogether.
"SIE strives to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction, therefore we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store," wrote Sony in a two-paragraph announcement on its website. "SIE will also be removing Cyberpunk 2077 from PlayStation Store until further notice."
This is an unprecedented and drastic move from Sony. It's relatively common for video games to have bugs at launch, which are often fixed in post-release updates. Returning a PlayStation game simply because it's buggy hasn't been an option, as the PlayStation Store's refund policy states that "If you have started to download or stream the purchased content you will not be eligible for a refund unless the content is faulty."
However, the huge issues in Cyberpunk 2077 and the massive discrepancies between its promise and product have pushed Sony to effectively declare the game is, in fact, "faulty." This means that PlayStation users can get the refund they've been furiously demanding, but it also means Sony had to delist Cyberpunk 2077 since it can't sell a faulty product.
"In order to allow refunds, the game then needed to be 'faulty,' but a 'faulty' game can't continue to be sold," tweeted Waypoint's Patrick Klepek. "And so here we are."
Tweet may have been deleted
Of course, players aren't obligated to turn in their cyberdeck. Cyberpunk 2077 won't disappear from users' PlayStation libraries unless they ask for a refund, and some have already declared their intention to keep their copy and wait for it to be patched. But many who purchased the game through the PlayStation store are now flocking to the website to submit their refund request.
"The decision was undertaken following our discussion with SIE regarding a full refund for all gamers who had purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store and want a refund at this time," said Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt in a statement. "All copies, whether digital or physical, will continue to receive support and updates from the Company."
Mashable has reached out to Cyberpunk 2077's department CD Projekt Red for comment.
It's a disappointing state of affairs for CD Projekt Red, which has been burning goodwill like Vin Diesel burns rubber. The highly anticipated game was notoriously plagued with development issues, with repeated delays and reports of mandatory crunch stoking controversy before Cyberpunk 2077 was even released. Sadly, it doesn't look like all that pain and hard work paid off.
Topics Gaming
