[Original message, published on January 13, 2021, can be found here.]
Dear gamers,
We are committed to fixing bugs and crashes and will continue to work and improve the game via future updates to make sure you are enjoying the game regardless of the platform.
We will use this space to inform you about the progress being made on Cyberpunk 2077’s further development, including information about updates and improvements, free DLCs, and more.
Below, you’ll find CD PROJEKT’s co-founder’s personal explanation of what the days leading up to the launch of Cyberpunk 2077 looked like, sharing the studio’s perspective on what happened with the game on old-generation consoles.
Thank you
CD PROJEKT RED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3V4UBZmC9o
This video was created in English so only the English version fully reflects our message. Subtitles in other languages were added solely for your convenience.
Updated on February 18, 2022
Dear gamers,
Ever since launch, we’ve been constantly working on Cyberpunk 2077, steadily improving the game across the board on all platforms, as well as adding new features and content. So far we have released 12 updates of various scopes in total, the latest one being Patch 1.5 — Next-Generation Update, released on February 15, 2022.
For players on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, Patch 1.5 marks the introduction of a dedicated next-gen version of the game featuring enhancements like dynamic 4K scaling and ray-tracing features on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, faster loading times, and better reflections, among others. All of this, fueled by the extra power of next-gen hardware, is available to owners of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version of Cyberpunk 2077 via a free upgrade.
Patch 1.5 also came with dozens of improvements for versions of the game for all platforms: from technical to gameplay, to narrative, and beyond. Overhauled Fixer and Gig gameplay, revamped crowd reaction AI, tweaks to the UI, map and open world, and new character relationship-related interactions are just some of the examples of the changes made.
Furthermore, this latest update also comes with new pieces of free additional content that expands what Cyberpunk 2077 has to offer gamers: rentable apartments featuring unique player character interactions, fresh weapons and gear, new customization options, and more.
So, what comes next? The plan hasn’t changed and involves providing support for Cyberpunk 2077 moving forward — further optimizing the game, resolving issues that might impact the game’s performance, stability, and gameplay, and so on. Making sure that each version of the game works best on a given platform will be a driving force in deciding on the scope and range of future updates.
On that note, make sure to follow the game’s official channels and website to keep tabs on all things coming to Cyberpunk 2077 in the future. And until then, we hope you’ll enjoy everything Night City has to offer!
FAQ
Q: I own a Xbox One / PlayStation 4 copy of Cyberpunk 2077. How do I upgrade to the Xbox Series X|S / PlayStation 5?
A: You’ll find all the information on how to upgrade your Xbox One/PlayStation 4 copy of Cyberpunk 2077 to the next-gen version on the dedicated Next-Generation Update website.
Q: What have you done since launch to make the game better?
A: Our top priority since launch has been to improve Cyberpunk 2077 — we have released twelve updates which have fixed numerous bugs, enhanced performance and stability, overhauled in-game systems and gameplay mechanics, introduced dozens of quality of life changes, and more. Additionally, with Patch 1.5’s release the game has received dedicated versions for next-gen consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S), which takes advantage of the additional power of the newest hardware.
Q: Why is there such a gap between PC versions of Cyberpunk 2077 and old-gen consoles?
A: Cyberpunk 2077 is huge in scope, it features a multitude of custom objects, interacting systems and mechanics. In the game, everything is not stretched out over flat terrain where we can make things less taxing hardware-wise, but condensed in one big city and in a relatively loading-free environment. We made it even more difficult for ourselves by first wanting to make the game look epic on PCs and then adjusting it to consoles — especially old-gens. That was our core assumption. And things did not look super difficult at first, while we knew the hardware gap, ultimately, time has proven that we've underestimated the task.
Q: What was the main issue that made development for old-gen consoles that difficult?
A: The main culprit was having to constantly improve our in-game streaming system for old-gen consoles. Streaming is responsible for “feeding” the engine with what you see on screen, as well as the game mechanics. Since the city is so packed and the disk bandwidth of old-gen consoles is what it is, this is something that constantly challenged us.
Q: Didn’t you test old-gen consoles to keep tabs on the experience?
A: We did. As it turned out, our testing did not show many of the crashes you experienced while playing the game. As we got closer to launch, we saw significant improvements each and every day, and we really believed we’d deliver in the final day-zero update.
Q: Why was there a gap between PC and console reviews?
A: We started sending out PC review keys to start the review process in the first week of December. Come December 10th, launch day, we had a really good start with PC reviews, and while it’s not perfect, this is a version of the game we were, and still are, very proud of. When it comes to the review process for consoles, at the same time PC codes were sent out we were still working hard to improve the quality of the game on old-gen consoles. Every extra day that we worked on the day-zero update brought visible improvement — that’s why we started sending console codes for reviews on the 8th December, which was later than we had planned.
Q: Are you making the team crunch to work on the patches?
A: The team is working to bring relevant fixes to the game without any obligatory overtime. Avoiding crunch on all of our future projects is one of our top priorities.
comments_1733