Gamespot looks at Cyberpunks history from the last 2 years, both the downs and then ups, and how CDPR has
mostly redeemed itself. While they are mostly accurate in their assessments (wall running was announced as axed ~6 months before release. So it wasn't "missing" per se) and are fair in both their criticism and praise. I will also say them claiming at this point we got the game that was promoted pre-launch is also not 100% accurate in my view. We are much closer, certainly. But having only a handful of choices having a long term impact in the world isn't quite what was advertised. But again, as a whole a fair and insightful article. Here is a snip, let us know what you think of it below;
It's an example of course correction by a studio that worked hard behind the scenes to not only fix the game but to create a product that has the potential to become a classic and proud part of its history. CDPR's initial moves saw massive bandwidth-busting patches released in the aftermath of Cyberpunk 2077's launch, while paid expansion plans were put on hold so that the game could be whipped into better shape. March 2021's 1.2 update, for example, took the entire game apart for its most consequential overhaul at the time, further optimizing the experience on a macro and micro scale with hundreds of tweaks and substantial changes.
This update wasn't a cure-all for Cyberpunk 2077 and its lingering bugs, but it was a huge leap forward compared to the initial launch-day version of the game. Dragon Age: Inquisition design director Gabriel Amatangelo had joined CD Projekt in 2020 and was promoted from Cyberpunk 2077 creative director to game director as the game began drawing in a dedicated crowd of players. CD Projekt was undergoing an ambitious shake-up behind the scenes as it began developing multiple AAA games simultaneously.
Reports of crunch culture were damaging to CD Projekt Red's reputation, with the company being lambasted for breaking its promise to provide "more humane" working conditions during the development of the game. Co-CEO Marcin Iwinski told investors after the September 2020 delay of Cyberpunk 2077 that reports of crunch on the game's development were "not that bad," but he later had to walk back and apologize for those comments to CDPR staff.