Cyberpunk 2077 dev gives heartfelt thanks to fans for never truly abandoning it

Cyberpunk 2077’s launch made history in all the wrong ways but its comeback has been a massive success. One of the game’s key developers has shown his appreciation to the players who made it possible.

The release of Cyberpunk 2077 back in December 2020 feels like an eternity ago. When the unfathomable levels of hype during the lead-up to its release culminated in a “buggy mess” resulting in mass calls for refunds, the gaming world was shocked.

Projekt RED executives have tried to downplay the state of the game at launch as “not that bad”, but you know it was if you were there. Fortunately, the massive effort on the part of developers that resulted in a major overhaul brought players back in record numbers.

Cyberpunk 2077’s redemption arc is a story for the ages and Quest Director Pawel Sasko is eternally grateful that fans of the game gave it the chance for one. In an interview with TheNeonArcade, Sasko thanked players for their ongoing support.

Speaking with TheNeonArcade, Sasko expressed his amazement that the development team for Cyberpunk 2077 could come back from its “heartbreaking” launch. While there were many patches, the true difference maker was the launch of the 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty DLC.

“Look at the reception of Cyberpunk right now, how it has turned,” Sasko said. “Look at the reviews, look at the videos, the discourse around the game. The fact that you guys come back to the game, play it again and have fun.”

Sasko attributes the game’s newfound success to an “incredible three-year effort” from the development team but cites another contributing factor. He mentions a small but dedicated fanbase who saw what Cyberpunk 2077 could truly be.

“I’m so glad that we kept going, fuelled by the passion of a fraction of the community at the beginning, and then slowly we gained more and more throughout the patches,” Sasko explained. “I have incredible gratitude.”

The hard work of the developers and the belief from fans has paid off in spades too. Cyberpunk 2077 and the Phantom Liberty DLC have put up a rather impressive showing in the 2023 Game Awards nominations.

Cyberpunk 2077 has received a nod for Best Ongoing Game and Best Community Support, while Phantom Liberty has been nominated in the Best Narrative category. To top all of that off, Idris Elba has also received a nomination for Best Performance for his portrayal of Solomon Reed in the DLC.