CD Projekt's Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0 + Phantom Liberty Expansion Thread

[Tyranicon]

Total budget of C77, both development and marketing, is 316 million USD.

That is a lot more than I expected - after all, Witcher 3 cost 81 million USD, incl. marketing.

Cyberpunk had 530 developers on it (peak), while Witcher 3 had 250 (peak). So twice as many.

I suppose getting that Porsche license, Keanu, all that music licensing and popstars - this stuff ain't cheap.

I am somewhat surprised the peak was only 530 devs. I expected it to be around 700. It is considerably less than what Rockstar had on RDR2 (1500).

The real question is how many people CDPR had working on their "RPG" systems.

 

[Hellraiser]

I suppose getting that Porsche license, Keanu, all that music licensing and popstars - this stuff ain't cheap.

Not cheap sure, compared to the total mentioned budget though I doubt it was that expensive, at least so far. The cursory look I took at their 2020 annual report gives me the impression over half of that budget was actual game development.

It all depends on the license agreement, I would expect they paid a million or two million dollars up front and then agreed to some royalties fee per unit sold. That's how most licensing including brand royalties works from my experience. Assuming there is a per unit cut or sales revenue % paid to porsche, keanu or musicians, there is still the question whether royalties expected over X years were included in the mentioned budget or not. From a proper budgeting point of view I would assume they would have included it in the amount, in a figure equal to the projected sales times the respective royalties per unit (or % cut times projected sales revenue).

 

[Justicar]

https://www.ign.com/articles/cdpr-issued-some-30000-refunds-for-cyberpunk-2077

Hurr durr Cyberbug milion refunds.

CDPR Issued Some 30,000 Refunds for Cyberpunk 2077

 

[Cyberarmy]

"RPG" systems.

What systems

 

[Hellraiser]

https://www.ign.com/articles/cdpr-issued-some-30000-refunds-for-cyberpunk-2077

Hurr durr Cyberbug milion refunds.

CDPR Issued Some 30,000 Refunds for Cyberpunk 2077

I expected the refunds and bugs were overblown for clickbait and shitposting (or shorting stock), but this is a way lower number than I expected.

 

[Tyranicon]

https://www.ign.com/articles/cdpr-issued-some-30000-refunds-for-cyberpunk-2077

Hurr durr Cyberbug milion refunds.

CDPR Issued Some 30,000 Refunds for Cyberpunk 2077

I expected the refunds and bugs were overblown for clickbait and shitposting (or shorting stock), but this is way less than I expected.

A good number of those has to be on the Playstation store. Edit: The article indicates this 30,000 refund number is from CDPR's own refund program, so I'm not sure if it includes PS and Steam refunds.

Which, as a reminder, CP2077 still isn't for sale on PS platforms.

 

[Gargaune]

https://www.ign.com/articles/cdpr-issued-some-30000-refunds-for-cyberpunk-2077

Hurr durr Cyberbug milion refunds.

CDPR Issued Some 30,000 Refunds for Cyberpunk 2077

I expected the refunds and bugs were overblown for clickbait and shitposting (or shorting stock), but this is way less than I expected.

I half-called it. I was certain that the refunds would be far, far lower than the internet drama was speculating on, but this is much lower still, I thought they might possibly go to the low six figures will all the histrionics.

 

[DeepOcean]

Even if the game had launched in a polished and stable state, it would just be a mediocre and forgettable game.

Compared to what? It's certainly a lot better than "The Outer Worlds" and I can't remember any other 3D RPG being released recently.

To be fair, "better than the Outer Worlds" is a meme that is becoming the codexian version of "thousands of hours played" on EA investment PR lingo.

 

[Paul_cz]

https://www.ign.com/articles/cdpr-issued-some-30000-refunds-for-cyberpunk-2077

Yeah that is significantly less than the performative outrage would let anyone believe, but...it's obvious.

 

[Zer0wing]

The real question is how many people CDPR had working on their "RPG" systems.

Not Mike Pondsmith for sure... Now where his fat ass will get excuses now when Cyberpunk 2077 turned out to be a kaleidoscope of everything that he feared to be in a Cyberpunk video game? How CDPR is different than other triple-A shlock producers?

 

[Tyranicon]

The real question is how many people CDPR had working on their "RPG" systems.

How CDPR is different than other triple-A shlock producers?

Other AAAs don't manage to get themselves banned from Playstation.

 

[Paul_cz]

Other AAAs don't manage to get themselves banned from Playstation

Because no other AAA offered unconditional refunds with which Sony didn't want to deal with.

 

[Tyranicon]

Other AAAs don't manage to get themselves banned from Playstation

Because no other AAA offered unconditional refunds with which Sony didn't want to deal with.

At some point, you have to admire the giant, brass polish balls of someone who pulls the rug from under their business partners in order to salvage their own PR. Especially when you produce a product that arguably doesn't even work on your business partner's platform, and prevented anybody from reviewing that version of the game.

And the best part, you get people to blame your business partner! Class-A brass balls.

 

[Myobi]

Other AAAs don't manage to get themselves banned from Playstation.

Every time someone mentions this... all that comes to mind is this shit:



GG Sony x,D

 

[Twiglard]

At some point, you have to admire the giant, brass polish balls of someone who pulls the rug from under their business partners in order to salvage their own PR.

Really, that's how you see it? It looks more like basic decency to me.

 

[Gerrard]

Any minute now.

 

[Tyranicon]

At some point, you have to admire the giant, brass polish balls of someone who pulls the rug from under their business partners in order to salvage their own PR.

Really, that's how you see it? It looks more like basic decency to me.

What do you call blanket bans on reviewing console versions of your game? Is that also common decency? How about promising refunds without alerting Sony (who is the one actually processing those refunds, BTW) and swamping their support staff with more work, in a vain attempt to look good?

The idea that CDPR is a company "for teh gamerz" is long dead and buried. They're full corpo now.

 

[Tyranicon]

Also, just dropping this here. Normally, I don't go out of my way to badmouth a company, but the extent and skill of CDPR trying to cover their own ass is astounding.

30,000 copies refunded? Lol what a joke.

https://www.vg247.com/2021/04/23/cyberpunk-2077-refunds-real-cost-cd-projekt/

Here's the pertinent part.

In the conference call, CD Projekt touched on refunds for Cyberpunk 2077. The developer/publisher specifically discussed the Help Me Refund campaign, saying that some 30,000 refund requests were submitted through it. This ended up costing the company $2.23 million all told.

Help Me Refund was a campaign designed to offer disgruntled players, who could not get a refund directly from retailers/digital stores, full compensation. It was a limited-time programme CD Projekt came up with in the wake of widespread mistrust, seemingly as a way to salvage some of its reputation.

But Help Me Refund is only a small part of the cost of refunds. The company also revealed in the same report that $51.2 million (including Help Me Refund) was the real cost of refunds in 2020. CD Projekt said those expenses are, “provisions for returns and expected adjustments of licensing reports related to sales of Cyberpunk 2077 in its release window, in Q4 2020.”

 

[Gargaune]

Also, just dropping this here. Normally, I don't go out of my way to badmouth a company, but the extent and skill of CDPR trying to cover their own ass is astounding.

30,000 copies refunded? Lol what a joke.

https://www.vg247.com/2021/04/23/cyberpunk-2077-refunds-real-cost-cd-projekt/

Here's the pertinent part.

In the conference call, CD Projekt touched on refunds for Cyberpunk 2077. The developer/publisher specifically discussed the Help Me Refund campaign, saying that some 30,000 refund requests were submitted through it. This ended up costing the company $2.23 million all told.

Help Me Refund was a campaign designed to offer disgruntled players, who could not get a refund directly from retailers/digital stores, full compensation. It was a limited-time programme CD Projekt came up with in the wake of widespread mistrust, seemingly as a way to salvage some of its reputation.

But Help Me Refund is only a small part of the cost of refunds. The company also revealed in the same report that $51.2 million (including Help Me Refund) was the real cost of refunds in 2020. CD Projekt said those expenses are, “provisions for returns and expected adjustments of licensing reports related to sales of Cyberpunk 2077 in its release window, in Q4 2020.”

Oh, dear... That's a wee bit different. Is "provisions for returns and expected adjustments of licensing reports" the corporate terminology for pre-emptively lubing up one's asshole?

 

[DeepOcean]

Anyone that can read polish, is this 51 million actually money lost on refunds (if it is, that is 850.000 copies refunded, maybe alot more as CDPR doesnt get full 60 dollars on each sale, sure wont bankrupt CDPR as the game sold 13 million but it is still a considerable number) or is it a projection? This balance sheet was made public on december, did they lost all those sales at that point or is this a game lifetime projection? Also, 51 million on dollars or polish money?

 

[RRRrrr]

https://www.ign.com/articles/cdpr-issued-some-30000-refunds-for-cyberpunk-2077

Hurr durr Cyberbug milion refunds.

CDPR Issued Some 30,000 Refunds for Cyberpunk 2077

Even I am among the refunds simply because I refunded on GoG to buy it on Steam. Lol at retards thinking millions of people refunded

 

[Hellraiser]

Anyone that can read polish, is this 51 million actually money lost on refunds (if it is, that is 850.000 copies refunded, maybe alot more as CDPR doesnt get full 60 dollars on each sale, sure wont bankrupt CDPR as the game sold 13 million but it is still a considerable number) or is it a projection? This balance sheet was made public on december, did they lost all those sales at that point or is this a game lifetime projection? Also, 51 million on dollars or polish money?

They linked to the english version of the statement, it is on page 73/Note 35. This is a provision of 194 million potatogold (so indeed 51 million kwabucks) that was created but surprisingly not consumed at all so far. Now the key thing to note here is that under IFRS which the CDP reporting follows, a provision covers a probable but not certain expense:

https://www.iasplus.com/en/standards/ias/ias37

Recognition of a provision
An entity must recognise a provision if, and only if: [IAS 37.14]

• a present obligation (legal or constructive) has arisen as a result of a past event (the obligating event),
• payment is probable ('more likely than not'), and
• the amount can be estimated reliably.

In short it means that as of the end of December they were estimating up to 51 million dollars of possible returns related to sales done in 2020 that could happen after 2020 ended. How did they come to that figure and thus how accurate it is, is a different question. Possibly they already knew how much returns so far distributors and retailers had and they would eventually need to pay back, but actual settlement wouldn't officially begin until January. I expect this doesn't cover cases from GOG since there no settlement with a third party would be needed, if they give money back to a customer they would instantly record it as a decrease of sales revenue.

In any case, as usual, we probably won't know the full impact until the provision gets shown as fully consumed or dissolved (if they figure the payment is no longer "more likely than not") in their reporting at some point in the future. The consumption of the provision over its lifetime (until it is no longer needed) is what will say how much the returns did cost them.

 

[TheHeroOfTime]

 

[Paul_cz]

This is so damn good

 

[Mikeal]