Sony has pulled videogame Cyberpunk 2077 from its PlayStation Store and is offering full refunds after gamers complained that it was rife with bugs and glitches.
The unusual move is the latest blow for Poland's top video games maker CD Projekt Red, whose shares have tumbled 30 per cent amid fury from disappointed fans, as well as industry reviewers who complained they had limited access to the title before its repeatedly-delayed launch on December 10.
CD Projekt Red said on Twitter that it was working hard to bring Cyberpunk 2077 back to the PlayStation Store as soon as possible.
The backlash against the game has led to hand-wringing over the hype that surrounds new titles, the complicity of reviewers in driving that hype and the work environment for rank-and-file developers ahead of release dates.
Kacper Kopron, an analyst at Trigon DM brokerage, said that Sony's move is one of the worst possible scenarios for CD Projekt and expects that forecasts for consoles sales will drop by 30 to 40 per cent.
"We are highly disappointed by the information, which shows that the game was just not ready to debut in December and the decision to launch it was a big mistake," he said.
CD Projekt Red, in damage control and widely seen as risking squandering fan goodwill built up over many years, has promised to fix the bugs through updates.
Important Update for @PlayStation Users pic.twitter.com/fCB4z74M3z
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) December 18, 2020
"Both digital and physical copies of the game will be continuously supported by and will receive future updates from the company," the company said in a statement.
The company added that players could still purchase a boxed version of the game and that all digital copies of the game sold so far via the PlayStation Store remain available for use.
