If one thing is clear, is that Cyberpunk 2077 was one of the biggest games of 2020.
But this role-playing game set in a sci-fi metropolis turned out to be a disappointment for many people as it arrived in a very buggy state, with the last-gen console versions being almost unplayable for many due to poor performance and glitches.
The game has been patched by Polish company CD Projekt numerous times since its release in November 2020, and is in a much better state now (especially after the launch of the recent a next-gen patch), with the game now getting the thumbs up from players worldwide.
Actually, the game had been getting plenty of good reviews on Steam in recent times, holding a “mostly positive” rating from users.
This, though, changed earlier this month after Cyberpunk 2077 got a stream of negative reviews from irate users on the Steam store, with the game’s status dropping to “mixed” on Steam.
This had to do with studio CD Projekt Red’s support of Ukraine after the Russian Federation invaded the country in late February, with the studio posting a message of support on Twitter (via Kotaku).
We cannot remain indifferent in the face of such injustice and we ask everybody to join in and help in any way you can. Together we can make a huge difference! (2/2)
— CD PROJEKT RED (@CDPROJEKTRED) February 25, 2022
The Polish company went further when it halted sales of all its video games in both Russia and Belarus in early March. Belarus is seen by many as a client country of Russia and is actively supporting the former in its invasion of Ukraine.
This did not go down well with some people, and even though CD Projekt (the publisher and owner of CD Projekt Red) could afford to take such a measure as the countries in question only account for about 5 % of its sales, it led to the game being review bombed on Steam.
“We know that players in Russia and Belarus, individuals who have nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, will be impacted by this decision”, said CD Projekt Red.
But the hundreds or thousands who review bombed Cyberpunk 2077 felt entitled to complain, making comments such as “game has no borders. You shall feel so good to oppress Russian citizens. Have a good day”, while others stated that the war is not CD Projekt Red’s business, and berated them for standing “with Ukraine and Ukraine Nazis”.
Some of the reviews also pointed out to Western hypocrisy and double standards regarding the invasion, saying that there wasn’t a similar outcry after the US bombed countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, for instance, as Kotaku points out.
US intervention in the Middle East, though, came in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, while Russia’s attack on Ukraine is entirely unprovoked, so both things are not directly comparable.
Also, since the game’s review status had dropped to “mixed” due to a period of “off-topic” activity, Valve decided to restore the game’s “mostly positive” status again on Steam, which seems fair no matter how you look at it.