Whether it received good or bad publicity, Cyberpunk 2077 is inarguably one of the most controversial games that was ever released in 2020. From being one of the most anticipated titles of last year to being a disappointment after launch, it’s kind of heartbreaking to see how much the table has turned for Cyberpunk 2077.
The one ray of hope left for CD Projekt RED’s action-RPG is its PC version, which appears to have the best graphics and playability, and the least amount of glitches and game-breaking bugs.
This could be clearly seen in the game’s initial sales on Steam. The RPG reached the number one spot on Valve’s digital storefront with over a million gamers. Not only that, it received Mostly Positive ratings from within 300,000 player reviews.
However, a few weeks have already passed since Cyberpunk 2077’s initial release and it appears that many players no longer want to continue exploring the nooks and crannies of Night City.
According to Steam rankings and other statistics from the past weekend, Cyberpunk 2077’s concurrent players have dropped to more or less 225,000 players. If our calculations are correct, then this would mean that the game’s player base dropped by an astounding 79%. It’s hard to visualize how 750,000 PC players have abandoned the complex, technological world of Night City and everything it has to offer.
That being said, it’s not that strange for a single-player narrative-based game such as this to experience such a staggering decline in player base. Even though it may seem alarming, it’s a fairly common occurrence.
Digging deeper into Steam’s analytics, many titles that don’t have a multiplayer option for players usually see a significant drop in player base around the first month after its release. Plus, considering the fact that many individuals are still stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic as well as the holiday vacation, many of Cyberpunk 2077’s players probably spent several uninterrupted hours just playing the game.
As such, we wouldn’t be surprised if they either already finished the entirety of the game or if they simply grew tired of it after long hours of bingeing. Fans and critics alike probably expected Cyberpunk 2077 to be similar to CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which has become such a classic RPG title at this point.
Speaking of which, The Witcher series has been given newfound life despite being released for years now thanks to the Cyberpunk 2077 hype as well as the well-received Netflix series that has become extremely popular. As a matter of fact, CD Projekt RED also announced last year that the Witcher franchise will be getting a location-based AR mobile game as well titled The Witcher: Monster Slayer.
With that in mind, perhaps having a multimedia approach to Cyberpunk 2077 would be beneficial to CD Projekt RED in the long run the way it was with The Witcher 3. Netflix will apparently release an animated miniseries for Cyberpunk 2077 in 2022, so we’ll just have to wait and see whether or not this adaptation will ultimately boost the game.
