Cyberpunk 2077
Steam
I am running out of ways to describe just how wild the comeback of Cyberpunk 2077 has been in the wake of the debut of Cyberpunk Edgerunners, an instantly-beloved Netflix anime series that has resparked mass interest in the game.
It’s not just the anime of course, but millions of players now realizing that after nearly two years of patches and fixes, Cyberpunk 2077 is not the widely mocked, unfinished game it was at launch, and while it always had a solid core, now it’s not…fundamentally breaking at every turn. For many, they’ve decided it’s finally time to jump in, and that widespread mindset appears to be snowballing into some truly massive numbers.
As of this morning, Cyberpunk 2077 is not just already breaking yesterday’s new playercount highs, 128,000+ as I write this, and I expect a peak closer to 150,000 later today, but it is now also the highest-selling game by revenue on Steam, according to Steam’s own newly released chart that tracks that.
While Cyberpunk has been rising up the list, up 33 places compared to a little while ago, it has now taken the #1 spot from pre-orders of the $70 Modern Warfare 2, out this November. It’s passed up hugely played live games like Apex Legends, CSGO and Destiny 2. It is the number one selling game on PC 22 months after release. And not even after a major expansion or anything like that launched, just a recent patch tied into the Edgerunners anime, and a half off sale on Steam.
Cyberpunk 2077
CDPR
The longer this goes on, the more I wonder if I could be wrong about what I said yesterday, that this newfound success probably won’t change the existing content plans for Cyberpunk 2077. I said that I thought it wouldn’t change CDPR’s locked-in schedule and have them greenlight a second DLC or a multiplayer expansion like they were previously planning, but I mean, who knows? If you have everyone’s attention, maybe it’s time to double down and try to execute the original vision you had after all.
A lot is riding on Phantom Liberty, the recently announced major expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 which will launch next year, free from the constraints of catering to last generation consoles. That seems likely to be another major moment for the series, but after that, CDPR is supposed to be moving on to The Witcher 4, mainly, rather than continuing to do big Cyberpunk updates. Like I said yesterday, I do wonder if the play here is to stop Cyberpunk 2077 development, and then start spooling up a full sequel sooner than they may have been planning.
Even if you’re still finding it hard to forgive CDPR for many broken promises and misleading statements it made around launch, it’s hard not to be impressed by what’s happening here. It’s a big moment not just for the game, but for the concept of transmedia, where we’re seeing an anime series drive enormous interest in a game and even fundamentally reshape how it’s played, with new context given to Night City and its characters. You can bet a ton of other games are looking at this, and are going to want to craft their own Edgerunners in the future.
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