It is abundantly clear that Cyberpunk 2077 already counts as an incredible success for CD Projekt RED, given that the title recouped development costs on launch day alone. The studio announced the sci-fi RPG in 2012, but apparently didn't enter production in full until after The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's release in 2015. Thus, the company regained five or so years worth of work, with regards to expenditures, in just one day.
Cyberpunk 2077 recently launched digitally and at retail, following a lengthy development cycle and three delays, the latter of which pushed the game's release back by an extra 21 days. Still, the title suffered nothing short of a rocky launch across several of its platforms. Base PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles have, thus far, been hit the hardest, plagued by frame rate drops, resolution issues, and a litany of immersion-breaking bugs.
Rampant technical performance issues aside, Cyberpunk 2077 probably could not be performing any better on the market. Thanks to preorders, the now critically acclaimed RPG recouped its development costs on day one. A report from CD Projekt RED, relayed by Niko Partners Senior Analyst Daniel Ahmad, further explains the project's marketing and promotional costs have either already been recouped or are expected to reach that point by this year's end. At this rate, another financial milestone is more than likely in the Polish studio's sights.
This is, naturally, a boon for CD Projekt RED as a whole, whose financial success seems to know no bounds. Earlier in the year, reports made the rounds concerning the studio's overall value. Interestingly, CDPR's value on the European market was even higher than that of Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft. Considering the recent releases of Watch Dogs Legion, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Immortals Fenyx Rising, it's possible the tide has turned in the French publisher's favor. If so, the pendulum could once again be swinging in CD Projekt RED's direction.
The studio's earnings from Cyberpunk 2077 won't stop at the base game, either. The developer has made it clear that fans can expect free and paid content in the vein of The Witcher 3's post-launch roll out. Information about what said content may entail remains under lock and key as of now. However, a hidden message within Cyberpunk 2077's launch trailer notes the free DLC will go live sometime in early 2021.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available to play now on Google Stadia, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S platforms.
Source: CD Projekt RED, Daniel Ahmad