In an unprecedented move for a release of its size Sony has decided to pull Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store on the evening of December 17th, just one week after its release. In its place is a new page offering the following explanation.
SIE strives to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction, therefore we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store. SIE will also be removing Cyberpunk 2077 from PlayStation Store until further notice.
Once we have confirmed that you purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store, we will begin processing your refund. Please note that completion of the refund may vary based on your payment method and financial institution.
While owners of the game using a PlayStation 4 Pro or PlayStation 5 have had better results, the performance of Cyberpunk on the original base PlayStation 4 (as well as the original Xbox One) has been less than acceptable. Beyond comical bugs, the deficiencies of the game’s A.I., scripting, and stability on older consoles has been well documented and Sony apparently decided it doesn’t hold up to their certification standards. Shortly after Sony pulled the game, CD Projekt Red offered their own statement on social media and on the Cyberpunk homepage.
Following our discussion with PlayStation, a decision was made to temporarily suspend digital distribution of Cyberpunk 2077 on PlayStation Store. You can still buy physical versions of the game in brick and mortar stores and online. All purchased digital and physical copies of the game will continue to receive support and updates as we continue to improve your experience.
According to our knowledge, starting today, everyone who is not willing to wait for updates and wants to refund their digital copy of the game, can do so by submitting a request at https://www.playstation.com/cyberpunk-2077-refunds/.
We are working hard to bring Cyberpunk 2077 back to PlayStation Store as soon as possible.
Before we go any further, if you already bought the game you will continue to be able to play it. As stated, physical and digital releases will continue to receive updates and will not be removed from your console or account. This is a refund offer, not a mandatory product recall. Cyberpunk 2077 remains available on Xbox One, Google Stadia, Steam, and of course GOG.com which raises the question to Sony: why now?
Plenty of high profile titles have launched on PlayStation 4 over the years with loads of bugs and performance issues including ARK: Survival Evolved, Anthem, Mass Effect Andromeda, and the Sony-backed release of No Man’s Sky. Not to mention the hundreds of dubious offerings that are released on the PlayStation Store year after year that manage to pass Sony’s minimum standards.
So is the experience of Cyberpunk 2077 on a base PlayStation 4 so degraded that it finally violates a core tenant of Sony’s certification process? If the number of bugs wasn’t enough to justify it then hard-locked system crashes seem to be the culprit. Glitchy and underwhelming as they may have been, I’m not aware of any of those games I just mentioned causing widespread crashes like Cyberpunk reportedly does. And that’s got to be one of the most basic tests a game has to pass for certification on any platform. Until CDPR can patch the game and bring it up to a stable, running standard it appears it will remain off-sale on the PlayStation Store.
Thanks to the overwhelming number of people who pointed out the news and submitted the game to the site. I’ll update this post and push it back to the top of the site as things change.