Polish regulator investigates CD Projekt over Cyberpunk 2077's troubled launch
CD Projekt could be fined if it can't bring the game up to snuff.
Poland's Office Of Competition And Consumer Protection has opened an investigation into CD Projekt Red over the dismal state of Cyberpunk 2077's console release.
First reported by national legal newspaper Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (via Benchmark), a UOKiK spokesperson has confirmed to PC Gamer that the agency will be keeping a close eye on CD Projekt Red's efforts to bring Cyberpunk up to scratch.
"We ask the entrepreneur to explain the problems with the game and the actions taken by him. We will check how the manufacturer is working on introducing corrections or solving difficulties that prevent the game from playing on different consoles, but also how it intends to act in relation to people who have complained and are dissatisfied with the purchase due to the inability to play the game on their equipment despite the manufacturer's previous assurances."
UOKiK seems largely concerned with Cyberpunk's PS4 and Xbox One editions, which launched in such a ragged state that Sony would remove the game from the PlayStation store. A US law firm also filed a class-action lawsuit against the game, citing joint-CEO Adam Kaciński's claims that the game ran "surprisingly well" on current-gen consoles in the weeks before release.
The PC version fared a good deal better, though still suffered its own share of (often hilarious) bugs. All versions also featured a potentially seizure-inducing effect at launch, which rendered the game effectively unplayable for some until it was smoothed out in a later patch.
Should UOKiK not feel CD Projekt has done enough to make those console editions sufficiently playable, the regulator has the power to fine the studio up to 10% of its annual revenue. That seems incredibly unlikely—I'm not sure there's any precedent for a government body fining a developer for releasing a buggy product—but nevertheless adds to the multitude of problems faced by a company that is seeing its share values plummet in the wake of Cyberpunk 2077's release.
CD Projekt Red gave us no comment.
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20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.