A settlement for the lawsuit that was filed by a group of investors against CD Projekt Red over the initial release of Cyberpunk 2077 has finally been approved by a judge for a total of $1.85 million. Going down as one of the most disastrous launches in all of gaming, up there with Fallout 76, No Man's Sky, and Assassin's Creed Unity, CDPR's gritty sci-fi game had a lot of backlash when it released at the end of 2020. Things are different now, thanks to a series of significant patches and updates, but it's still a pretty raw memory of disappointment for many.
So controversial was the launch that a lawsuit was filed against CD Projekt Red shortly after Cyberpunk 2077 came out. The developer was under investigation pretty much from the word "go," with a Polish law firm suggesting that the studio may have acted illegally by misrepresenting the finished product for financial benefit. The game itself, while highly praised when it worked, was notorious for serious issues, especially on the Xbox One and PS4 versions. In fact, Sony eventually pulled the title from its digital storefront after a series of complaints that it was barely playable for some.
Now the lawsuit filed over the state of Cyberpunk 2077 at launch looks like it's finally coming to an end, as a federal judge in California has approved a settlement of $1.85 million, which is to be paid to the group of investors who initially made the claim. Under the terms of the settlement, CD Projekt Red along with Rosen Law Firm, which is representing the investors, will need to request approval again by April 28, but the developer doesn't need to "admit to any specific charges" brought against it, according to PCGamesN.
Some reading this may be getting a sense of deja vu, as the lawsuit over Cyberpunk 2077 was originally settled in December 2021. However, according to GamesRadar, the settlement was denied approval in April by US District Judge Fernando M. Olguin, though a revised settlement was provided soon after. In essence, it's taken a good couple of years for investors to finally see the end of this case.
Controversy aside, Cyberpunk 2077 is now doing much better, thanks to the aforementioned patches, and the game's popularity increased thanks to the release of the anime spin-off Edgerunners. Last year, CDPR announced a Cyberpunk sequel is in development, so the studio is obviously keen to explore more of Night City. The developer seems to have learned from the events surrounding Cyberpunk 2077's launch, even if $1.85 doesn't sound like a lot for a company of this standing, and hopefully the sequel's release will be less controversial.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: PCGamesN, GamesRadar, Law360 (paywall)