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Sony has removed Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most hotly-anticipated video games of the year, from its PlayStation store following a deluge of complaints.
The title would not be on sale “until further notice”, Sony said, offering full refunds to those who had bought it. More than 8 million gamers had pre-ordered the title, which retails for about $60 (€49), before its release on December 10th.
Users reported serious issues with Cyberpunk 2077, such as crashes, bizarre visual glitches and malfunctioning game mechanics almost immediately after it became available to play.
“[Sony Interactive Entertainment] strives to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction,” a statement read. “Therefore we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store.”
It was not clear whether Microsoft would take the same step with its Xbox store after similar issues were reported by players on its platform. A Microsoft spokesperson did not return a request for comment.
Cyberpunk 2077, a dystopian open-world thriller starring a digital Keanu Reeves, was already well behind schedule after its release date was pushed back three times, most recently from November to December.
Many of the problems with the game, which had been eight years in development, stemmed from the hardware on the current generation of gaming consoles, which proved unable to cope with the demands of Cyberpunk 2077’s gameplay and visuals.
CD Projekt Red, the Polish studio that developed the title, apologised for the game’s lacklustre quality, promising a timeline of patches over the next few months.
“We should have paid more attention to making it play better on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One,” the team said in a message posted on Twitter.
Prior to the game’s release, only the PC version of the title was made available to review websites. Among those expressing frustration with the game on Twitter was Elon Musk, Tesla chief executive.
CD Projekt Red has seen its stock price fall about 30 per cent since the game’s release. The company is one of the most valuable on Warsaw’s stock exchange, and until now was best known for creating the acclaimed The Witcher, a series that has sold more than 50m copies since it began in 2007.
While it is common for games to be patched up by developers in the weeks and months after an initial release, it is extremely rare for a big store to remove a high-end game entirely from sale due to poor quality.
In October, Amazon’s game studio took the decision to cancel its own title Crucible just six months after its release, following a poor reception.
- Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2020