Cyberpunk 2077 was one of the most anticipated video games of 2020, in the height of the pandemic. As some people put it, it was the “Hindenberg of video games” when it was released. It was a big scandal due to the exaggerated hype, the severity of defects or bugs, and the alienation of not only the gaming community but also of the stakeholders.

What went wrong with Cyberpunk 2077’s digital marketing strategy and product development? How could they turn it completely around in a couple of years? Buckle up; it was really ugly (and that’s an understatement)…

Digital Marketing Strategy

Project Background: The promise

The development took 10 years, and the project aimed to be an ambitious adaptation of a dystopian tabletop role-playing game called Cyberpunk, taking a lot of inspiration from the film Blade Runner and the novel Hardwired.

Cyberpunk 2077 was first announced in 2012, believe it or not, with a teaser trailer that generated a lot of buzz and curiosity. The project aimed to redefine the open-world genre and offer a groundbreaking open-world RPG set in a dystopian future, where players could explore, customize, and hack through a sprawling metropolis.

The implications of that “redefinition of a genre” brought a lot of technical limitations and difficult business decisions that, of course, required a big budget.

But regarding Digital Marketing Strategy, it relied upon celebrities that appeared in the game, appealed to gaming communities, and featured the star power of Keanu Reeves as one of the main characters.

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Company Background: CD Projekt Red

It was developed by CD Projekt Red (CDPR), the acclaimed studio behind ‘The Witcher’ series. Actually, ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’, which was released in 2015 and won multiple awards and accolades.

The studio did a lot of experimentation with the first game that implied a lot of bugs, even bad translations, that were fixed eventually, having a winning formula for producing games and a solid reputation for delivering great products. Reflected in them selling over 80 million copies overall and over 90 awards.

From a product management standpoint, the strengths of the games were in the storytelling and interactivity with the user.

CDPR Developers were very tight-liped about the project, which was a “smart” digital marketing strategy, but externally, if you don’t set expectations with consumers, your reputation and communities will.

This led to overhype in the gaming industry, and the Digital Marketing strategy didn’t help since it was all in, making extensive and aggressive marketing campaigns featuring multiple trailers, gameplay demos, interviews, and promotional events. The game also boasted a huge budget, estimated at over $300 million, making it one of the most expensive video games ever made.

The game’s release date was initially set for April 16, 2020, but it was delayed three times, finally settling on December 10, 2020. The reason? Many technical problems, on top of a worldwide lockdown which impacted the team’s capacity.

The developers cited the need for more time to polish and test the game, especially for the PS4 and Xbox One versions, which were reportedly struggling to run the game smoothly. The delays were met with mixed reactions from the fans and the media, some of whom expressed understanding and patience, while others expressed frustration and disappointment.

Despite the delays, the game received over 8 million pre-orders, breaking the record for the most pre-ordered game in history. The game also received positive reviews from some of the critics who had early access to the PC version of the game, with an average score of 90/100 on Metacritic. Everything seemed to be going well for Cyberpunk 2077, until the game was finally released to the public.

Product Launch: A Bloodbath

Unsurprisingly, Cyberpunk 2077’s launch was a disaster. As soon as the game was released, players started to encounter a myriad of technical issues, performance problems, and game-breaking bugs that made the game unplayable, especially on the PS4 and Xbox One consoles. The game’s graphics were also far from the stunning visuals that were shown in the trailers and demos, and the game’s features were a far cry away from complete.

Marketplaces & Partners. It was so bad that partners’ reputations were being impacted. Sony and Microsoft offered full refunds to customers, and Sony even removed the game from its PlayStation Store.

The video game industry and the community. The video game industry’s is known to deliver an incomplete game and ‘patching’ or improve it along the way is normal, but this time players were not only disappointed, they were angry. Investors and consumers sued and put together a class action lawsuit.

Stakeholders and the Media. The game also faced a lot of criticism and backlash from the media, and the regulators, who accused CD Projekt Red of lying, deceiving, and exploiting the consumers. To top it all off, a reviewer suffered a seizure, discovering that the game didn’t have an epilepsy warning.

Don’t worry it gets worse, the company (CDPR) got their data stolen and ransomed, and Bloomberg published an exposé of the how the company was in crisis.

Needless to say, the game’s reputation and sales suffered greatly, and CD Projekt Red had to scramble to fix the mess and regain the trust of the stakeholders.

Cyberpunk 2077’s Digital Marketing Strategy

Post-Launch: The Redemption

The company’s solution was far from quick.

Company’s Business Model. Unlike competitors like Electronic Arts (EA) or Ubisoft, which have a series of launches per year, CDPR only had one release per year. The company depended on Cyberpunk 2077, and at this point they were… screwed in a very tight spot.

What solution they offered? The company apologized and promised to fix the game, making a series of patches over a period of time.

Industry’s Product Fixing Standards. It is bad or… far from ideal. In the video game industry studios rarely follow through with their promises. They usually ignore it and focus on the next project and try to make it better this time.

CDPR had a very heavy task up ahead since those bugs or problems were not a 1 day fix, they were very severe. No one believed their promises since they were not truthful from the beginning; they did not warn the consumers about anything.

But, after 3 years they turned it around… how? With a good Digital Marketing Strategy.

Technical improvements Roadmap

Digital Marketing Strategy Implemented Post-Launch

Main Challenges. When the game was released, they tried to cover a lot. As a product, it didn’t focus on specific strengths or parts of the product it should have focused on to control the damage, like enemy AI, playability, and interactivity with users in certain parts of the open world, for instance.

Product Improvements. At the beginning and the middle of 2022 they did a next-gen upgrade that enhanced graphics, faster loading times, and a stable frame rate, which marked the beginning of the redemption among users, but it was not recognized by the community entirely… which prompted a new phase.

Cyberpunk Digital Marketing Strategy. In June 2022 a collaboration between CDPR and Anime Studio Response, responsible for “Little Witch Academia”, SSS Grid Man”, “Promare”, and “Kill La Kill” among others, produced an anime called “Cyberpunk 2077: Edge Runners”.

Usually, these collaborations are risky since we all know that great stories have horrible adaptions, but the show’s results went against expectations, having a solid score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Digital Marketing Strategy Predecesor: Technical improvements. An extensive patch or technical overhaul that massively improved playability and gamification was made.

The developers really focused on what the consumer wanted and added desired features that consumers talked about in various mediums. They implemented the features that “made the game or product more fun”. And they did it all for free.

Digital Marketing Strategy: A “New” Products (DLCs). The company leaned against one of its strengths: they were known for offering high-quality DLCs (an additional story-line complementing the main story or game), like the add-ons for “Witcher 3”, which excelled in story-telling, offered long duration compared to similar products, and a price point accessible to everyone.

A few days later, after the patch, a successful DLC came out, which cost $30 on top of the original game but offered two endings, which in itself could count as two products, plus it integrated seamlessly with the base product or game. Actually, the DLC or expansion made new consumers buy the complete game and was even compared with a competitor’s non-existing product, calling it the best “Call of Duty” campaign that Activision never made. It also committed to an additional improvement to the base product related to the transportation system.

Results. CDPR won the “Best Ongoing Game” Best game of the year in December 2023, and sold 20 million units in 2022, after the release of the additional product or DLC, it is expected to reach up to 25 million and it has become the best-selling product surpassing The Witcher. It still has room for improvement, but they changed the perception of the most important target, their consumers.

Digital Marketing Strategy Recommendations

• Focus on quality over quantity: Instead of trying to create a huge and ambitious product that promises everything, focus on creating a smaller and simpler product that delivers what it promises. Make sure that your product is tested and optimized for different platforms and devices, and that it meets the standards and expectations of your customers and stakeholders.
• Be transparent and honest (most of the time): Instead of hiding or exaggerating the truth about your product, be transparent and honest about its features, benefits, and limitations. Communicate clearly and frequently with your customers and stakeholders, and keep them informed and updated on your product’s progress and status. In a real-world scenario is not always possible, so focus on one product area that can defuse the heat and correct it with a Digital Marketing Strategy.
• Put the customer first: It is tricky since sometimes you have to balance out stakeholders’ goals and agendas while focusing on your customers’ needs and preferences. Listen and respond to your customer’s feedback and concerns, and explain the stakes to stakeholders and provide solutions and options that tackle the most important needs. Listen to your clients and create a product that provides value and satisfaction.

Conclusion

Cyberpunk 2077 was a highly anticipated video game that got caught up with internal and external challenges with a community that loves catastrophizing every action and based on our experience it was handled brilliantly and helped by a great Digital Marketing Strategy. Turning a series of mistakes into a successful product or products.

But we’d love to hear from you and your experiences, and if you need help with overall Strategy or Product Management Strategy, let us hear from you.