Though the company recently extended a refund offer to dissatisfied Cyberpunk 2077 players, CD Projekt RED has confirmed it didn't clear its intentions with Microsoft or Sony. Refunds on digital storefronts belonging to the two platform holders will be decided based upon each company's respective refund policy. Thus, the whirlwind surrounding Cyberpunk 2077 shows no sign of slowing down.
Over the weekend, PlayStation 4 players claimed they were being issued refunds from Sony due to Cyberpunk 2077's poor performance on last-gen hardware. It seemed a good sign for players who felt as though they were sold a broken or inferior product. On Monday, CD Projekt RED addressed the controversy in a statement to fans, complete with an apology and an acknowledgment that PS4 and Xbox One users weren't given enough information about the title's performance. That very same statement from CDPR additionally included a promise that refunds would be distributed for digital and physical game purchases. But, as many likely expected, CD Project RED did not have license to make such a promise, especially since refund policies vary across the board.
During an emergency conference call, CDPR Board Member and SVP of Development, Michał Nowakowski, addressed questions concerning Microsoft's and Sony's participation in the company's refund-related intentions. Most notably, investors were curious as to whether the "financial burden" would solely rest on the shoulders of the Polish studio. Nowakowski noted that, as always, refund requests on digital storefronts will either be confirmed or denied contingent on the policies in place by said storefronts, confirming that the studio didn't have an arrangement with any store to actually honor refunds. According to the CDPR executive,
"One has to understand: Microsoft and Sony have refund policies for every product that is released digitally on their storefronts. Despite several articles I’ve seen that things are being set up just for us, it’s actually not true – these policies are in place and have always been in place; they’re not offered specifically for us. Anyone who has purchased any title on the PlayStation network or the Microsoft storefront can ask for a refund, and if it’s made within certain boundaries, usually related to time, usage and so on, can ask for that refund. Our procedure here with Microsoft and Sony is not different than with any other title released on any of those storefronts."
This revelation, which is hardly a revelation at all, doesn't come as much of a surprise. Digital refunds with Microsoft and Sony are always contingent on the respective platform holder's policies. The misconceptions arose due to CD Projekt RED's wording in its statement on Monday. Many were led to believe the company had brokered a deal of some kind with the console manufacturers. Unfortunately, however, this constitutes another example of mixed messaging on the part of the studio.
And the mixed messaging has plagued the discourse surrounding Cyberpunk 2077 since the days leading up to its launch late last week. One of the first instances of this occurred once PC reviews went live, while details about the console versions remained conspicuously absent. This level of alleged dubious marketing resulted in review aggregate site OpenCritic accusing CD Projekt RED of purposely misleading consumers.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available to play now on Google Stadia, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Source: CD Projekt RED
