Smash Bros. creator praises decision to offer Cyberpunk 2077 refunds

Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has praised CD Projekt’s reaction to Cyberpunk 2077’s troubled launch and its decision to offer refunds for the game.

After the title released on December 10 with a host of technical problems, CD Projekt pledged to improve the experience with a series of patches but also said console customers not wanting to keep it could get their money back.

Sharing his thoughts on the game in his latest Famitsu column (via Siliconera), Sakurai praised not only the company’s handling of a difficult situation but also developer CD Projekt Red’s work in creating what he called a “dream game”.

“Dealing with refunds is something that makes even me feel deeply moved. This kind of sincerity was never heard of before,” the Kirby creator wrote.

“I support this game from the bottom of my heart for sincerely dealing with [the refunds].”

While Sakurai initially played Cyberpunk 2077 on PC and encountered multiple bugs, he said his experience on console was largely trouble free.

“When I tried it on the PS4 Pro, I could play it without problem (as of December 20, 2020). It was mostly running at 30 frames per second.”

Sakurai also reportedly said: “Cyberpunk 2077 is a dream game. I wonder how much planning and production was needed.”

He added: “Having a multi-platform release for an AAA title is at a level where that’s enough for me to say that it’s wonderful.”

On Wednesday, shortly after Sakurai’s comments were published, CD Projekt’s leadership issued a public apology for Cyberpunk 2077’s troubled launch and outlined its future plans for the game.

In a video message, CD Project co-founder and joint CEO Marcin Iwinski said he and his fellow board members—and not the game’s development team—were to blame for the poor quality of the console version at release.

He also said Cyberpunk 2077 DLC has been pushed back as the studio is prioritising work on the game’s “most important fixes and updates”, and that its next-gen console update is planned for release in the second half of 2021.

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