CD Projekt promises not to confuse anyone again, then confuse everyone again

CD Projekt yesterday conducted an extremely public self-assessment (if not an apology) for Cyberpunk 2077’s messy post. The company has made it clear that it will change its marketing policies, to avoid deceptive and deceptive gamers, many of whom were left baffled by the planned final version of Cyberpunk 2077 after years of updates. Unfortunately, in doing so, he managed to confuse investors and consumers on a whole new issue.As part of a presentation on the strategy update, CD Projekt chairman Adam Kiciński explained that the company had “ reconsidered ” its plans for a Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer component mode – but did not fully explain what the outcome of that review will be. While we knew the company was previously working on an AAA Cyberpunk multiplayer experience alongside single-player play, it was never clear whether this was a standalone game, an expansion of the existing game, or a hybrid. of both (in the vein of GTA Online, for example).

In previous calls for results (transcribed by Seeking Alpha), Kiciński made it clear that a top team is doing multiplayer, and that “we [at CD Projekt] think of it as a stand-alone product, “- but above all never went so far as to say so would be be published as a stand-alone project. Kiciński’s comments yesterday don’t clarify that, nor do they spell out what’s going on in this project right now.

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“Previously, we had hinted that our next AAA would be a multiplayer Cyberpunk game,” he explained, “but we decided to reconsider this plan given our new, more systemic and agile approach. primarily on a great experience or an online game, we are focusing on bringing all of our franchises online someday. “

This tells us Something has changed, but not exactly what. Cyberpunk multiplayer may have been delayed, it may have been canceled, or it may be in the process of retooling. Additionally, CD Projekt is now committed to adding online experiences to its future games, and claims that its build technology helps ensure that all of its single-player RPGs come with some sort of multiplayer connectivity. What he didn’t say was whether this technology is close enough to be used in Cyberpunk 2077 at some point – or whether whatever multiplayer is going to be, could use this technology in some way. or another. Likewise, the post could mean we’ll be waiting for a future sequel to Witcher or Cyberpunk to see his experiences online.

The result of all this is that people are deeply confused about what exactly happened (and what’s to come) in Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer – social media is filled with opposing views on the meaning of these comments, questions about what happened and complaints from those who claim to have purchased the game at least in part because of a promised multiplayer mode, and who are upset, they can now not see it.

When asked for clarification, CD Projekt Red told IGN that the above statement was “all we have to say”.

This position, and the confusion it causes, became extremely clear in a question-and-answer session for investors following the strategy update. In a short session, no less than five CD Projekt investors asked for clarification on Cyberpunk multiplayer plans. None got what they were looking for.

The closest to an explanation came early on from Kiciński, who touched on the company’s philosophy for multiplayer going forward, without directly explaining how this would be applied to Cyberpunk 2077:

“Regarding online, we are changing our approach. We want to have online in our future games, sure, but step by step. We are working on specific features, improving our single player mode, but we are not working on the release. of the next. Game [as] great online experience. We are therefore going to enrich our single player games with online experiences. “

“The only change is that we continue to work on [online] not as a main production line but as a supporting production line with our single player productions. But we think our ideas, once revealed, will be very exciting for players as an additional experience in our world that matches our single player games. “

This vagueness of the real ideas behind it all has led to a number of follow-up questions from investors. Matthew Walker of Credit Suisse put it perhaps most clearly, asking about the specific wording used in the original ad: “I don’t think I’m the only person on the call who is somewhat confused by this definition of “online” vs. ‘multiplayer’. He added, “I appreciate that you didn’t want to reveal all of your plans, but it’s a pretty important thing that people have been waiting for long enough.” No plans were revealed in response.

This gets to the heart of the matter. It’s completely understandable – and admirable – that CD Projekt wants to change its marketing approach and provide more specific updates in a shorter period before release. But it works for projects that haven’t been announced yet, while Cyberpunk’s multiplayer mode possesses been advertised and discussed (at least obliquely) for years at this point. Keeping quiet about a project that fans are excited about – and investors have tight budget records – seems counterproductive.

Asked for the fifth and final time about the mode in the Q&A, Kiciński (who looked very tired at this point), replied more directly: “We are not ready to talk about details”, later adding: “I know it’s hard for everyone, but we’re trying to change our approach to talk about the future. We’re more focused on how we work, less focused on our exit plans. “

The problem CD Projekt faces is that its many interested parties are very focused on that particular release plan. The lack of concrete information, and the addition of more confusion, is yet another moment in a long and bewildering campaign in which those who are most invested (in some cases literally) in Cyberpunk 2077 appear to be the ones who are most left without the answers they want. .

Joe Skrebels is IGN’s News Editor. Follow him on Twitter. Any advice to give us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].