CD Projekt RED Tries to Distance Itself from Cyberpunk 2077 Refund Mess

I swear, if I see ONE MORE Cyberpunk 2077 news on this page, I'm going to vomit cactuses.

Edit: Welp, I did it. You sons of a gun made me do it. Happy?

@HotGoomba___Rebrand Get yourself a bucket then because this train isn't stopping any time soon.

Please post another refund article!!

I wanna see this @HotGoomba___Rebrand

@HotGoomba___Rebrand

It does make you wonder if this had been a Sony exclusive would we see as many articles?

Not defending cd but just wandering bur we will see more articles, it's just been a disaster on ps4

How the might CDPR have fallen

They certainly IMPLIED they had a special arrangement set up for people wanting a refund. I'm still trying to get it through Sony directly and it's incredibly frustrating to convince people that are working with an obvious script. I'm going to keep at it though. At this point I have nothing to lose.

Unbelievable!

@Yinx

Think that's the best way, if more people do this it might wake Sony up, but not holding my breath

So glad i cancelled when i did.

This is a real mess created entirely by CD project. To me it looks like they are terrified of the gaming community turning against them. Apologies and groveling, it's embarrassing.

I got the game but have not played it yet.

i'm just going to wait till Jan/Feb for the fixes so my first experience with the game is a good one.

This "release it now and fix it later" mentality needs to stop. The console version of the game should of been delayed a few more months. The PC version looks good though they still have bugs that need fixing as well.

@tinCAT-zero

Well never seen a company go as fast as Teflon coated hero too villain as quick as these guys, be a long time before people trust them again

@Total_Weirdo
That's exactly it. There was a big panic to get the game out on console for the new console releases. They needed another year.

I dont know how many more bad releases people have to go through before they wake up and stop buying at launch. I never buy at launch, not even if its something I really want to play. Because of situations like this. I guarantee all these problems will be ironed out and Cyberpunk is a masterpiece in six months or so.

Just a big mess is what this is.

This game really doesn’t deserve the spotlight right now it already flubbed the release and tanked CDPR’s reputation, the damage is done. Plus even when it all works the gameplay is still mediocre. Any further news in between the big patches necessary is just drama pieces at this point. Like Esquire but for gaming

@LiamCroft So are you guys going to put a number on Cyberpunk or you're waiting like Pure Xbox till is fully patched and running perfectly no matter how long that takes?

If so you have to be consistent and give every broken or buggy game that releases a couple of weeks for the developers to patch it. You should also re-review Fast and Furious and Avengers since you didn't give them a month or two for them to fix the games.

I bet they are !

@suikoden If it would have been such a mess then probably yes.

@suikoden of course not we get news of Assassins creed patches before hearing anything about Demons Souls new patch because you know which game gets more clicks? An Ubisoft one

@2cents also maybe because Ubi listed the fixes on their website and Bluepoint didn't
"there's a patch but we don't know what it fixes" is hardly worth a post

@Total_Weirdo "I got the game but have not played it yet.

i'm just going to wait till Jan/Feb for the fixes so my first experience with the game is a good one.

This "release it now and fix it later" mentality needs to stop"

It will only stop when and if people stop pre-ordering. Simple as that. You want change? Be the change.

I’d imagine Ubisoft will do quite well
Out of this mess. Aside from COD and Fifa there isn’t really a big AAA release this Christmas. I can see Fenyx and Valhalla doing well off the back of this. Possibly even watchdogs?

Such a wasted opportunity for consoles. Cyberpunk should have been that massive Christmas release and they’ve made a mess of it.

@Jamie1989 We will be putting a score on our Cyberpunk 2077 review in the next week or so, yes.

I imagine we're going to start seeing some heads rolling at CDPR soon.

@2cents
Any worth of note in the demon souls update ?

@Voltan sounds like lazy journalism to me, ever heard of booting the game up and finding out the updates through gameplay?? Right off the bat I’ve noticed performance boosts, removal of popular glitches, and vastly improved network latency - but again Valhalla is the highest selling AssCreed so they cater to clicks

@Total_Weirdo
Thats why im waiting till June if i pick it up.

@2cents indeed. That would require some effort, but gaming journalist consists mostly in reposting information one finds in other websites and adding a pun or two for the lolz.

@LiamCroft Hi Liam will you basing your score on version 1.00 or 1.04. Sounds harsh but I think it has to be what they put on the disc or maybe a push the day one patch.

@Jamie1989 I don't think 2 years of daily updates could save fast and furious but yeah I'm sure Avengers is allot better than it was at launch.

@Max2574 We'll be basing it on whatever the latest patch is at the time. We know another update is coming in the next seven days, for example.

Doing some lazy math:
8 million preorders
41% of them in consoles
PS4 has about a 2 to 1 advantage over Xbox so 66% roughly might had been PS4 versions
25% cut for Sony for each sale
That gets us to the point where if everyone asks for a refund, it would cost Sony about 32 million dollars.

This is likely way lower given digital vs physycal (good luck returning an opened game) but Sony likely not willing to let go of a few millions worth of preorders, despite also holding responsibility for letting this mess of a game be certified for PS4.

@HotGoomba___Rebrand why are you eating cacti?

@LiamCroft I'm loving this!

I can't believe a company could destroy it's reputation that quickly but CDPR have managed it with ease! And they keep on digging the hole even deeper.

The Witcher seems a long time ago now!!! Personally I think it's kind of funny, what with there being so many gaming snobs when it comes to Ubisoft and EA etc. "Our hallowed CDPR would never operate like 'those' companies, they push out quality product". Hmmmmm.

@Deadhunter

I would say yes but sadly it will be those on the frontline and not mangerment which sadly neatly always the case

@LiamCroft That could be an intresting topic for debate in the future regarding reviews. How long are devs given to fix there game. Also strange as it may seem many people don't use the net on the console and are stuck with the gold standard disc version. Maybe 2 reviews could be a thought for this and in future. Goodluck you stuck in between a rock and a hard place lol.

@suikoden for what it's worth, Push Square was not kind to. The Order 1886 and that game was not a broken mess. So, don't think platform bias would had stopped them from covering this messy launch same way as anyone else.

I never see studio fall from grace like cdp..

PushSquare: could you maybe find how are they doing the refunds for physically bought versions at stores that will flip their finger at you? That would be rather interesting to read. I would bet that the e-mail address in their apology letter is just forwarding the mails straight to the trash.

I have been playing on my PS4 Pro and it feels pretty good. In 35 hrs I have had about 5 hard crashes and it can definitely feel a bit unstable in moments but I have really loved the game. If I had any will power I would have waited for the PS5 definitive upgrade but I have definitely had a ton of fun.

@LiamCroft I would love to know if there's any aussie psn users that have gotten the run around or denied refunds by Sony support? Given the EU PSN store were fined in Australian Federal court by the ACCC this year for breaching Aussie Consumer Law over refunds,they would be in a lot of hot water if they were doing it again here. As Steam found out years earlier after appealing it to our highest court of appeal-their policies cannot override local law.

It is now at the stage that the comical news coming out is more entertaining than the game that is Cyberpunk 2077.

Regarding a refund from Corporation Sony reminds me of getting an honest answer from a Politician.............What do you say Mr Bean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCB6wTR-VIk

@Ken_Kaniff Haha, firstly, bugs crashes and glitches all, I'm still having a fun time with CylberFunk20X7. Second, I have a pre-order copy of Lego Star Wars for my switch that I will GLADLY play at lunch the next day w/o any hesitation. Also, MLB the Show usually runs pretty decent at launch.

@Gaming365247 Ditto. Kudos to Tom's Hardware for scaring me off with the performance numbers they were getting on PC before the game released. It wouldn't have been a PS4/Xbone-level mess on my PC, for sure, but in terms of the glitches, system crashes, and whatnot, it still seems like I dodged a bullet.

@Ken_Kaniff 99.5% of the time, preordering and/or buying at launch works extremely well for me. I just need to stick to my policy of not preordering Western AAA releases, since those seem to make up the vast majority of cases where the game is broken/buggy at launch.

For a Polish studio, their game certainly lacks it.

I'll get my coat.

Stuff like this is exactly why I rarely preorder games or buy them at launch anymore. Either they need significant patches/content updates or they'll just go on sale within a few months, and I don't mind waiting.

When game codes are not given in advance to review outlets it is always a red flag. One needs to be really careful when pre-ordering these days, if it is worth it at all. I acknowledge the fact that most games launch in playable state but I do mind taking a gamble on that each time. I should be covered by a) reviews in advance of launch day, b) quality control; games should not be released in beta-state unless clearly sold as such and c) robust returns policy. None of the measures have been in place here. Re c) someone compared this to physical releases, that you wouldn't be able to return an open box. Of course not, how will the shop know that you've not played and completed the game? But with digital, Sony has all the data (not even going to mention that you can always sell on the physical copy).

As for CDPR, they don't seem to be the same company as they were just a few years ago. They built their reputation on quality and consumer-friendly approach. They grew too big and have been taken over by shareholders, without any checks and balances in place, who need a game out at all cost to get bonuses. Company values get lost in the process. All too familiar a story.

I bought the game and have been enjoying it on PS5, but with the way CDPR has handled this entire debacle, they’ve lost future business from me. They have a solid game here that they released as an unfinished broken mess, in many cases. On top of that, they continue to dig themselves deeper into the hole. I just can’t support a company that has no respect for the fans that helped make it. Meanwhile, companies like Hello Games have earned my respect and possible future business by being transparent and accepting blame for the broken game they released. On top of that, taking the time and dedication to fix it and make it an incredible game.

@Max2574 I hadn't thought too much about this in the previous generation because I had ubiquitous fast internet and the console and games would update themselves quietly in the background.

But since PS5 launch, I've moved and don't yet have internet. So playing the unpatched version of Miles Morales without the RT Performance mode and realising how out of sync with the current narrative you can be if your console isn't offline, even when your'e playing the same game as everyone else.

Certainly if we still believe reviews to have any moral duty to inform consumers, they should be based on the lowest common denominator, which is the gold version on the disc, but then could make mention of improvements brought by subsequent patches.

If games were reviewed more harshly for their day 1 performance issues, especially AAA, publishers might become less likely to release them so broken. Especially when we know bonuses can be structured around aggregated review scores, etc.

People just need to realize that CDPR is no different than any other company in the gaming industry. They're not our friends and for the most part they don't care for anything but the possible profit.

They started humble, because at that point they couldn't really afford to deceive their consumers without going broke. All that changed after the immense success of The Wither 3.

@LiamCroft Are they ignoring physical copy customers? Because unless they aren’t responding, the evidence is that those with physical copies are better off as they have a recourse if the store won’t give them a refund.

Oh I get it. The so called refund they were promising apologetically was the standard practice for any game but they wanted to sound generous.
Wow

Edit
Nice try to shift the blame.

Despite all this kafuffle, if it's one thing I can't blame CDPR for its the refund process. GoG, Steam and even Xbox have simple refund procedures. By all means (rightly) criticise CDPR for releasing a mess of a game, but the refund anger should be placed directly at Sony's doorstep.

sony and microsoft are (currently) NOT giving out refunds for digital cyberpunk purchases in canada. i can confirm this from a primary source. at this point in time, cdpr does not have an agreement with sony or microsoft and simply added that to their PR message in the hopes it would calm down the situation. the snowball keeps rolling down the hill and is getting larger.

@Total_Weirdo Do I hear June?

@pip_muzz I respectfully disagree. How many physical copies were sold? Almost NOBODY accepts opened physical games for a refund - replacement, if the disk is defective but not a refund. Suggesting you can just go get a refund if you don't like the game is dishonest - they know there are limitations, especially for physical media and PSN.

@Papasears - death threats over a postponement is NEVER okay. But it's clear they didn't postpone this nearly long enough - months more is needed. Using the one to justify the other is cowardice. Have the guts to say you're going to miss the Christmas release (and don't announce it's gone gold when it's this bad, in the first place), and live with the consequences. I'm firmly in the camp that releasing buggy, bad experiences is worse than postponing a game to get it playable, at least - if not as close to perfect as is reasonably practical.

@Papasears Ungrateful? These people paid $60 for this game lol and what are you talking about helping them? It's their job to QA the game before charging the consumer full price for it. Do you want us to work for CDPR as beta testers while paying them for their broken game? smh

@RobN Disagree entirely. To claim a refund with a physical copy is simple. Consumers just need to stand their ground when the cashier tries to push them away. A quick mention of consumer rights and a refurral to the ombudsman always works.
So regarding digital it should be the same. People's lack of consumer rights knowledge shouldn't dictate digital rights policy.

If you're going to walk the plank, might was well be the Titanic's plank!

@HotGoomba___Rebrand how about a cactuar?

@pip_muzz Might be a difference in regions. In the US, nobody accepts returns of physical video games if the box has been opened, except for an exchange for the same title. That's pretty standard across all companies - Best Buy, Amazon, Target, you name it. Gamestop will give you some store credit (less than the original price) so they can sell it used, that's the best you've got.

Another negative of the digital age. Can happily get a refund with retail. I don’t know why consumers settle for less...

@RobN That'll be why. I live in the UK. It's not always easy but certainly doable over here.

This is the statement from my retailer when I asked about the refund. What game is CDP playing with us here? Extremely confusing

"Normally, software cannot be returned once the seal is broken.

However, CD Projekt Red has released a statement that gamers can expect improvements in the game in the foreseeable future (statement in attachment)
If you are not satisfied with that, you still have the option to get a refund (statement in attachment)

In addition to this statement, we have received the following refund instructions from the developer:

• Retailers / e-tailers are not responsible for the refund;
• Retailers / e-tailers should direct gamers to dedicated email address: [email protected] with their refund request and proof of payment;
• Starting in 2021, CDP Red will receive the refund via PayPal;
• Requests will no longer be accepted after Dec 21, 2020.

Hopefully you can quickly get started with the game you were hoping for.
Otherwise, do not forget to apply in time! (21-12-2020)"

this is CDPR's fault you can go on about refunds but the buck stops with them.

@Papasears Actually it does. I highly doubt that CDPR will offer refunds if people didn't post on social media the tons of technical problems they were experiencing on this game. CDPR wouldn't also be pressured to fix this game ASAP and instead they will keep celebrating their 8M Pre-Orders. Just because you can tolerate CDPR incompetence, it doesn't mean everybody should have the same opinion as you do.

Sony's refund policy is NO 😬