Refunds for Cyberpunk 2077 have cost developer and publisher CD Projekt Red over $2 million. Cyberpunk 2077's launch in December 2020 was plagued with bugs and disappointed many eager players. The unprecedented level of backlash against the game caused CD Projekt Red and a number of key retailers to offer full refunds, even if it was a physical copy that had been opened and played.
The controversy only continued as PlayStation removed the game from its digital store. More than 100 days later, Cyberpunk 2077 has yet to return to the PlayStation Store. Needless to say, it has been a rough go for both players and the team at CD Projekt Red. Nonetheless, the developer has been trying to push through with big patches and promises of free future DLC that will expand Cyberpunk 2077. Unfortunately, some fans weren't willing to wait and considered it a lost cause for the foreseeable future. Those who sought out refunds have created a problem for CD Projekt Red.
CD Projekt Red revealed during its earnings call (via Mike Futter) that it lost over $2 million as a result of offering up refunds to fans. That would amount to about 33,000 copies sold at retail price, which is a drop in the bucket since Cyberpunk 2077 sold almost 14 million copies in 2020 alone. That said, Cyberpunk 2077's 2021 sales seem to have nosedived rather quickly as it fell to the 18th best-selling game within a month of release, possibly in part due to the fact the game was unable to be purchased on the PlayStation Store. It's also worth noting that it's unclear if CD Projekt Red is counting any refunds through retailers and digital stores like the Xbox Store, as CD Projekt Red had its own form players could fill out for a refund directly from the publisher.
Whether or not CD Projekt is content with how much it had to actually give back to players is unclear. Cyberpunk 2077 is still relatively broken, albeit better than it was at launch in many cases. CD Projekt Red remains committed to improving the game, but it obviously goes to show that this is a game that probably needed much more time in the oven.
It remains to be seen if CD Projekt Red is capable of delivering a redemption arc for Cyberpunk 2077 that brings it up to the standards it had been marketed with for years. Given that it has been nearly 6 months since the release and it still has a ways to go before it can even be put back on the PlayStation Store is concerning. Either way, it's not clear if a lesson was learned since CD Projekt Red still raked in tons of money regardless.
Source: Mike Futter/Twitter