CD Projekt Red's Co-CEO Admits Some Fans May Never Forgive Cyberpunk 2077 - and That's Okay

Nearly four years after Cyberpunk 2077 crashed onto shelves in a state that many players still describe as broken, the game has sold over 30 million copies (on track to hit 35 million by late 2025). Its Phantom Liberty expansion holds a 95% positive rating on Steam. The numbers tell a story of commercial and critical redemption. Yet CD Projekt Red's co-CEO Michał Nowakowski has just dropped a bombshell that contradicts that neat narrative. In a live interview at DevGAMM Gdańsk, he admitted he is "not 100 percent convinced" the studio has completed its full redemption arc. Worse, he accepts that some players have "lost faith indefinitely." This refreshing self-awareness, from a leader whose company could easily have moved on, frames The Witcher 4 not as a triumphant sequel, but as the ultimate test of whether trust can ever be rebuilt.

The 'Heartbreaking' Launch That Changed Everything

To understand why Nowakowski's words carry so much weight, you have to remember the scale of the disaster. Cyberpunk 2077 launched on December 10, 2020 after years of hype and multiple delays. The final product on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One was riddled with game-breaking bugs, missing features, and performance so poor it bordered on unplayable. The backlash was immediate and brutal. Sony pulled the game from the PlayStation Store, an unprecedented move for a AAA title. Investors threatened lawsuits over what they called "materially misleading information." CDPR was forced to offer refunds, and the studio's reputation, once built on the beloved Witcher 3, crumbled in a matter of days.

Nowakowski described that period as "heartbreaking" for the studio. He noted that CD Projekt Red's reputation had been its "biggest asset," and the launch shattered it. For fans, the betrayal felt personal. CDPR had positioned itself as a developer that cared deeply about quality and transparency. The promises of a revolutionary RPG were replaced by memes about glitches and crashes. The gulf between what was sold and what was delivered left a bitterness that time alone could not erase.

'We Lost the Faith of Some People Indefinitely', A Rare Honest Admission

In the years since, CDPR has worked tirelessly to fix Cyberpunk 2077. Major patches, a next-gen upgrade, and the critically acclaimed Phantom Liberty expansion transformed the game into something close to what was originally promised. As of late 2024, Cyberpunk 2077 had sold over 30 million copies, and Phantom Liberty's Steam reviews were 95% positive. From a commercial standpoint, the redemption arc looked complete.

But Nowakowski isn't sure. "I'm not 100 percent convinced we went through the full redemption arc," he said during the DevGAMM interview. And then came the line that cut through the corporate optimism: "I'm convinced that we lost the faith of some people indefinitely, and that's a fair thing."

That candor is rare for a AAA studio head. Most executives, when faced with such a question, would deflect with talk of learning and improving. Nowakowski instead acknowledged that for a segment of the fanbase, the damage may be permanent. It is an admission that no amount of patches, expansions, or sales numbers can fully repair what was broken. The trust, once lost, may never come back.

The Battle-Hardened Studio vs. The Unfinished Redemption Arc

Nowakowski did not dwell on the negative. He noted that the team emerged from the crisis as "seasoned, battle-hardened veterans." That phrase suggests a developer that has been through fire and come out stronger, more cautious, and far more aware of the stakes. CDPR's philosophy has shifted. The company now has a "rough ten-year rolling plan" and openly states it does not want to become a studio that releases a big game every year. Quality, not quantity, is the stated priority.

Yet the redemption arc remains unfinished in the CEO's own eyes. He expressed hope that The Witcher 4 will win back doubters, but he also said "if not with The Witcher 4, then with whatever comes next." That is a long game. CDPR is essentially telling the world that it is willing to spend years, maybe a decade, trying to earn back the trust of the fans who walked away. It is a patient approach, but it also places immense pressure on the next release.

Can The Witcher 4 Close the Book on Cyberpunk's Legacy?

That brings us to the next crucial test, a sequel to the very franchise that built CDPR's reputation. The Witcher 4 is arguably the most anticipated RPG in development. But Nowakowski's uncertainty adds a layer of tension. The key question is simple: will fans who were burned by Cyberpunk 2077's launch trust CDPR's pre-release marketing for The Witcher 4? For many, the answer is still no. The memory of overpromised trailers and broken last-gen performance is not easily forgotten.

CDPR has shown it has learned. The studio has improved its QA processes. Phantom Liberty benefited from a focused scope and no last-gen constraints, and it was widely praised. The Witcher 4 will likely launch on current hardware only, avoiding the cross-generational pitfalls that plagued Cyberpunk 2077. But one more broken promise could permanently destroy the studio's credibility. The stakes could not be higher.

Nowakowski's honesty, admitting that not all fans will return, paradoxically shows the maturity that could win back the ones who matter most. It signals that CDPR understands the gravity of its mistake and is not pretending everything is fine. The Witcher 4 will be the litmus test. If it launches smoothly, it may complete the redemption arc the CEO himself doubts exists. If it stumbles, the studio risks losing even the "battle-hardened veterans" who rebuilt it.

The Fragile Thing Called Faith

Nowakowski's confession is as rare as it is refreshing. By acknowledging that some fans are gone for good, CDPR is doing something unusual in the gaming industry: taking responsibility without spinning it as a victory. When The Witcher 4's first gameplay trailer drops, the number of downloads, and the skepticism in the comments, will tell CDPR whether this decade-long apology is working. The studio's future will not be measured by sales numbers, Cyberpunk 2077 already proved those can be achieved even after a disaster. Instead, the true measure will be the simple, fragile thing Nowakowski says they lost: faith. Whether The Witcher 4 can restore it is a question that only time, and a stable launch, will answer.