Sony, the company that owns and operates PlayStation, announced late Thursday that it would offer refunds to people who purchased Cyberpunk 2077 and remove what had been a highly anticipated video game from its online store, after a week of negative reviews and criticism from users over its poor performance.
In a statement on PlayStation’s website, Sony said it would offer full refunds to users who purchased the game through the PlayStation Store. Cyberpunk 2077, the company said, would also be removed from the store until further notice.
CD Projekt Red, the Warsaw-based developer of the game, said Friday that Sony’s decision to “temporarily suspend” sales of the game came after a discussion with the company.
“All purchased digital and physical copies of the game will continue to receive support and updates as we continue to improve your experience,” CD Projekt Red said, adding that it was working to bring Cyberpunk 2077 back to the PlayStation Store.
Sony did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday.
PlayStation’s move to stop distributing Cyberpunk 2077, a role-playing game set in a dystopian crime-ridden megalopolis that was long hyped as the game of the decade, came a week after the game was released and days after complaints from users about its glitches and poor visuals on some platforms drew attention.
On Monday, CD Projekt Red, apologized for not showing the game, which retails for $59.99, running on base models of last-generation consoles before it was released, removing the opportunity for gamers to make informed decisions about purchasing.
“We should have paid more attention to making it play better on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One,” the company said. Players have reported fewer gameplay problems on other platforms, including the latest generation of consoles, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, which were released last month but remain difficult to find.
CD Projekt Red, which had touted receiving eight million pre-orders of the game, pledged to fix the bugs and crashes that gamers complained about and said large patches would arrive in January and February.
“Together these should fix the most prominent problems gamers are facing on last-gen consoles,” the company said, adding that customers could also seek refunds.
“We would appreciate it if you would give us a chance, but if you are not pleased with the game on your console and don’t want to wait for updates, you can opt to refund your copy,” the company said.