CDPR Faces Millions In Fines Over Bumpy Cyperbunk 2077 Launch

Consumers’ trust may not be the only thing that CD Projekt Red has to lose with its less-than-optimal launch of Cyberpunk 2077. Polish news outlet Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (via IGN) reports that the country’s consumer protection agency, UOKiK, is reportedly looking into the game developer’s conduct leading up to the game’s launch, as well as how the company responds to ongoing complaints about the game’s performance on consoles.

The watchdog agency is also monitoring how CD Projekt Red responds to consumers’ demands for refunds owing to Cyperpunk 2077’s sluggish performance and buggy experience at launch, especially on last-gen consoles.

A UOKiK spokesperson offered the following insights into the agency’s ongoing dealings with the game developer:

 “We are asking the company for explanation regarding problems with the game and actions taken by them. We will check how the developer is working on patches or solving issues preventing playing on various consoles, but also what steps [the company] is planning to take regarding people [who requested refunds] and are not happy with their purchase because they can’t play the game on owned hardware, despite assurances by the producer.”

Depending on the company’s response, the watchdog may resort to punitive measures, which include the ability to impose fines of up to 10% of CDPR’s income for the last financial year. Considering the fact that CD Projekt Red earned PLN 175 million ($47 million) in profits for the fiscal year ending 31 December 2019, and accounting for the more than 13 million Cyberpunk 2077 copies sold since launch, the game developer could be looking at fines in the tens of millions!

The Polish paper also reports that UOKiK could alternatively ask CDPR to offer “digital bonuses” to last-gen buyers of the game.

Punitive measures by the Polish watchdog aren’t the only legal action threatening the embattled developer. The company is also the defendant in a class-action suit filed by its investors over the company’s “false and/or misleading” statements about the game’s launch, which they argue amount to violations of federal securities laws.