CDPR Shakes Off Cyberpunk 2077 Launch Debacle With 13 Million Copies Sold Thus Far
There have been smoother launches than the one for Cyberpunk 2077, the most highly anticipated game of the year. From untapped performance on AMD Ryzen processors to crummy graphics on last generation game consoles leading to refunds, Cyberpunk 2077 may have been rushed out the door a little too early. Despite the sloppy launch, however, developer CD Projekt Red has managed to sell more than 13 million copies so far.
Even without the launch hiccups, that is a highly impressive figure, for what amounts to just two weeks of sales. And if you factor in the complaints and refunds, it is even more staggering, serving to underscore just how much pent up demand there was (and presumably still is) for this game. And with good reason—despite its flaws, it offers an engaging story line and interesting characters, as we noted in our Cyberpunk 2077 review.
Oh, and that 13 million figure? That is how many copies CD Projekt Red sold in digital and physical form, after accounting for refunds.
"Based on reports obtained from digital distribution
platforms and data collected from physical distributors, it estimates that by 20 December inclusive
gamers have purchased over 13 million copies of Cyberpunk 2077. This figure represents the
estimated volume of retail sales across all hardware platforms (factoring in returns submitted by
retail clients in brick-and-mortar as well as digital storefronts), i.e. the 'sell-through' figure, less all
refund requests e-mailed directly to the Company by the publication date of this report in the
framework of the 'Help Me Refund' campaign," CD Projekt Red stated in a regulatory filing.
It is an interesting situation, given all that has transpired. For example, the issues on console led GameStop to rethink its refund policy, and offer refunds on Cyberpunk 2077 even if the game had been opened. This was done to appease PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners who were not happy with the graphics and overall visual quality of the game.
Things have been better on PC, particularly with more potent setups. And in general, a recent 1.05 patch introduced a bunch of fixes and improvements across the board. Nevertheless, some have seen this launch as a sign of what's wrong with the games industry.
Even so, Cyberpunk 2077 is a financial success, in terms of the number of copies sold. It's not the highest selling game of the year, but it is right up there. To put it into perspective, Activision raked in $600 million from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare during its first three days. If that figure is based on the $59.99 retail price, then it amounts to 10 million copies sold.
If we hope over to the land of Nintendo, Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold 11.77 million copies during its first 11 days, and took several weeks more to reach 13 million. So at least as far as sales are concerned, Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the bigger hits in gaming.
