Cyberpunk 2077 has been a massive hit in the gaming industry, reaching a record-setting 8 million pre-orders before launch and breaking the world record for the most concurrent players on Steam for a single-player game. But even with all that in mind, CD Projekt Red's stocks have fallen by 29% (at the time of writing) since December 10.
Despite the apparently resounding success in the sales department, it appears the company has disappointed its stockholders. Even after the record-setting launch yesterday, CD Projekt Red's stock prices fell by 7.3% (from PLN 390.6 to around PLN 362). That follows a pre-launch slide that began on December 10.
The continuing stock pricing erosion may seem very bizarre considering the amazing success the game has produced both before and after launch. Apparently, the price drop stems from Cyberpunk 2077's day one bugs and glitches that have been a focus of launch reviews and also shared across social media platforms by frustrated (or amused) players.
It is truly annoying to have day one glitches that hinder gameplay, but it is almost impossible to avoid on launch day. Other hugely successful AAA titles, like The Witcher 3, have also had game-breaking launch-day bugs that were patched later. It's simply how game launches go, and it can't really be avoided unless the entire gaming community beta tests the game. It's worth noting that not everyone has experienced these game-breaking bugs – many people are enjoying Night City without encountering serious issues.
It's just the way it goes when you have a game that can run on a variety of operating systems, PC components, and consoles – incompatibilities and errata are unavoidable. However, the severity and persistence of some of Cyberpunk 2077's bugs obviously have the investment community concerned. Given the game's success, we can expect the company's stock prices to improve once Cyberpunk 2077 stabilizes and more rounds of patches come out that improve game stability and add more features.