Cyberpunk 2077 E3 2018 demo was “almost entirely fake,” reveals report

Update: CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Badowski clarified the fake demo claims by citing that changes in the demo version of the game are part of the development cycle. While some aspects of the game are improved in the final release, he reiterates that the game’s performance on last-gen consoles is something they have owned up to and they are working hard to eliminate all the bugs. Here is the complete statement.

Cyberpunk 2077’s E3 2018 demo played a pivotal role in building up the hype for the game. However, it seems like what was shown during the event was far from the real picture, and even the developers were well aware of the issues surrounding the game.

As Bloomberg reports, the demo shown during the E3 2018 event “was almost entirely fake.” The demo showcased Night City as an immersive world with a plethora of features, car ambushes, and NPCs. The final product was devoid of a vast majority of these elements and it was nowhere close to the E3 demo.

The report suggests that the developers were themselves unhappy with the demo since it showcased features that were not coded and finalized back then. According to them, the demo was just a waste of time which could’ve been used to work on the game instead.

The overambitious goals set by the gameplay demo proved to be detrimental to the work culture of the organization, as employees were compelled to work extra hours due to peer pressure despite CD Projekt Red’s CEO claiming that overtime will not be mandatory. A number of attempts were made to ease the work pressure, which included significantly reducing the scale of the game and delaying the game multiple times. While it did help certain aspects of the development roadmap, the larger picture still remained in a messy state.

Amidst the team, it was expected that the game will be ready by 2022. However, the company’s management wanted to launch the game even before next-gen consoles were announced. This would allow them to “double-dip by releasing versions down the road for the next generation consoles.” Despite the developers expressing concerns over the game being unsuitable for previous generation consoles due to its sheer complexity, the management didn’t pay any heed.

As of now, the state of Cyberpunk 2077 is in a complete mess. While the developers are actively working towards improving the game and have a number of updates planned in the forthcoming months, the game still stands removed from the PlayStation Store. In fact, it is not clear for them as well as to what will help them regain the spot in the PlayStation Store. While the current situation looks bleak for CD Projekt Red, millions of fans across the world are still expecting that the developers will make a comeback, and they will get the game they envisioned.