Today is a great day for gamers and for the gaming industry, for today is the premiere of Cyberpunk 2077 — one of the biggest game releases of this year. The open-world, action-adventure game is also one of the most-awaited games ever, as it has finally released today after 8 long years of development since it was announced back in 2012.
To top it off, the game has topped Steam’s charts with today’s player count peaking at slightly more than 1 million (at the time of writing this article). This just goes to show how popular it is and how many people were waiting to get their hands on the game, which released on PC, PS4, Xbox one and Google’s Stadia today. The game will be available for the next-gen consoles, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, in 2021.
For non-gamers or for gamers who somehow haven’t heard about the game before—which is highly unlikely—and are wondering why the release of this game is making the headlines and why its such a big deal, allow us to explain:
The reason for the game’s immense popularity can be attributed to two factors: (1) the game developer and their legacy, and (2) the game itself. The developer behind Cyberpunk is the same Polish developer who made the Witcher game series: CD Projekt Red. The last release from the Witcher series—The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt—was an instant classic, and is one of the most loved and respected RPG games which sits right at the top with the likes of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption 2.
The developer’s legacy and popularity explains a lot why gamers were impatiently waiting for Cyberpunk 2077. But that’s only half of the story. The game itself is a huge reason for its own popularity. Cyberpunk 2077 is CD Projekt Red’s biggest game after Witcher 3. As the name suggests, the game is set in an immense and immersive Cyberpunk themed world (Cyberpunk is a science fiction genre, which often features futuristic worlds that are obsessed with technology).
The game’s ambitious story takes place in a futuristic city called Night City, “a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification.” You play as V, who is a mercenary outlaw. The character and play style is highly customizable, and the story revolves around the protagonist going after “a one-of-a-kind implant that is the key to immortality.”
Besides the vast world the game offers which is open for exploration and full of adventures, the game also features a Hollywood celebrity: Keanu Reeves, who is well-known for his role in John Wick. The game features Reeves as the rebel rocker Johnny Silverhand. The actor very much became the face of the game once his involvement was revealed. Reeves was present at the game’s full reveal at E3 2019, and was the one who took the stage to make the announcements related to the game.
Cyberpunk 2077 is expected to sell extremely well, especially in the absence of any big competitors and during the pandemic which has increased the number of people spending time indoors and playing games. “We think this is much bigger, Cyberpunk is definitely going to set records, not just this holiday season but in 2021 too,” said David Cole, founder of research firm DFC Intelligence, in a statement to Reuters.
The colorful and graphically detailed world of Cyberpunk 2077 is a dream come true for any open-world, action-adventure game fans and Cyberpunk genre lovers. The pre-sales of the game topped 8 million copies towards the end of Wednesday, exceeding expectations. According to Jefferies analyst Lyra Li, Cyberpunk could sell 33 million units from its launch until end of 2021. The game is currently available on Steam for INR 2,999.
