Sony Is Removing PS4 ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ From Its Store And Offering Full Refunds

Cyberpunk 2077

Credit: CD Projekt Red

One week after a disastrous launch on PS4 and Xbox One, Sony is taking the extreme step of removing Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation store and offering full refunds to all customers. The company put out a statement on its website Thursday evening, simply citing a concern for customer satisfaction:

“SIE strives to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction, therefore we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store. SIE will also be removing Cyberpunk 2077 from PlayStation Store until further notice.

Once we have confirmed that you purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store, we will begin processing your refund. Please note that completion of the refund may vary based on your payment method and financial institution.”

It remains to be seen what Microsoft will do with the Xbox version of the game, but Sony’s move puts pressure on Redmond to make a similar action.

This is perhaps the most extreme action I have ever seen taken against a major game: the only comparable situation I’ve seen was Warner Bros. offering full refunds for the disastrous Arkham Knight PC port, but this feels even bigger than that. It’s even more striking because the action was taken not by the publisher or the developer, but by the digital retailer.

CD Projekt Red recently put out an apology for the state of the game on Xbox One and PS4, where it said that while it encouraged players to hold on to the game until the developer was able to fix it, it would support those seeking refunds. Shortly after that, the company revealed that it did not have any sort of special arrangement with Microsoft or Sony, presumably after sending thousands of disgruntled customers through normal channels.

This would appear to be the next, largely unprecedented, step in that process. We’ll have to wait a bit to see how many users actually seek refunds, but this remains a major blow to CD Projekt Red in the near-term because it won’t be able to sell any more copies on the largest console platform.

Cyberpunk 2077 runs as intended on high-end PCs but is largely a disaster on older consoles, leading to a week of outrage from customers that spent $60 only to receive a largely broken product, marked by performance problems and glitches.

This is certainly a major move from Sony, and I would expect a statement from CD Projekt Red and possibly Microsoft soon. This has been one of the most remarkable stories I’ve seen in my time covering video games, and it looks like it’s only getting started.