Cyberpunk 2077 is now the biggest digital game launch of all time

Selling 10.2 million digital copies in December 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 is the biggest digital game launch of all time.

According to a report by industry analyst SuperData, PC games revenue jumped 40 per cent in December 2020, “thanks to the release of Cyberpunk 2077”.

Interestingly, while the sale estimates do include refunds, the “data shows that refunds did not substantially affect the game’s aggregate sales”.

“A successful marketing campaign and the reputation of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt provided the hype necessary for the CD Projekt Red title to break records despite issues including performance problems on consoles, widespread glitches and the indefinite removal of the game from the PlayStation Store, “the report said. “An extremely high share of digital sales (80 per cent) were on PC, likely due to the delisting on PlayStation and overall state of the console versions.

“Regardless of the short-term financial success, the critical backlash means the developer will now have to invest significant resources fixing the game in order to rehabilitate its image before the launch of its next title.”

The report also confirms that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War boasted the highest earnings on console last month, with Pokemon Go dominating on mobile (thanks, VGC).

The long road to recovery for Cyberpunk 2077 continues with the release of the game’s first major patch.

As we reported yesterday, this update – which brings Cyberpunk 2077 up to version 1.1 – focuses on stability improvements as opposed to quality-of-life, balance or AI reworks. It’s under 10GB on PC, and just under 17GB on console.

The patch improves the game’s memory usage within its various systems (characters, interactions, navigation, in-game videos, foliage, laser effects, minimap, devices, AI, street traffic, environmental damage system, GPU-related, and more), and makes various crash fixes related to loading saves, game opening and closing and the Point of No Return, among other aspects.

CD Projekt recently vowed to defend itself against multiple Cyberpunk 2077 lawsuits.