Cyberpunk 2077 Game Dev Faced Launch Criticism From His Landlord

A CD Projekt Red developer has revealed that even his landlord gave him a tough time following the troubled release of Cyberpunk 2077. The RPG’s late 2020 launch is still considered to be one of the worst in video game history, but improvements over time have turned the title into a fan favorite.

While it was lauded for its story, setting, and visuals, Cyberpunk 2077 faced heavy criticism when it released due to the game’s many technical issues. Poor performance and countless bugs – particularly on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions – converted much of the hype the RPG generated prior to its launch into disappointment and anger. Since then, Cyberpunk 2077 has improved thanks to the efforts of developer CD Projekt Red, but the Polish studio and its employees had to endure a lot to get here.

Sharing some of those rough experiences during his talk at the recent 2024 DICE Summit, CD Projekt Red VP and game director Gabe Amatangelo said that his landlord gave him the cold shoulder following the disastrous release of Cyberpunk 2077 that led to a lawsuit that cost the company $1.85 million to settle. Amatangelo, a Boston native who moved to Poland, told attendees that he approached his landlord one day because a request for his broken showerhead to be repaired had been left unchecked for weeks, Game Developer reported.

Instead of solely focusing on the matter at hand, Amatangelo’s landlord asked the expatriate if he worked for CD Projekt Red. After Amatangelo said yes, the landlord then revealed that he had purchased Cyberpunk 2077 and played on a PS4. “We’re working on it, we’re working on it,” Amatangelo told his landlord as he explained that CD Projekt Red was trying a variety of technical fixes to improve the game. When Amatangelo later asked about the broken showerhead, his landlord replied with, “We’re working on it.” In the end, CD Projekt Red was able to turn Cyberpunk 2077 into one of gaming’s greatest redemption stories, although it was unclear if Amatangelo was able to get his showerhead repaired.

Cyberpunk 2077 Made One of Gaming’s Biggest Comebacks

Public opinion on the futuristic RPG has improved drastically over the years, with Cyberpunk 2077 now being regarded as one of the best open-world games of all time. Cyberpunk 2077 currently has a Very Positive overall rating on Steam based on more than 630,000 reviews.

CD Projekt Red has seemingly become satisfied with the current state of the game, as the company released the final major update for Cyberpunk 2077 last December. With development on Cyberpunk 2077 effectively finished, CD Projekt Red can shift its attention to other projects like the title’s sequel, or the next entry to the Polish studio’s critically acclaimed The Witcher series of games.