Three, nearly four months later, Cyberpunk 2077 is still not on the PlayStation Store. It's still not the game fans hoped for, and it's still better on PC than any console whatsoever. From the moment the game went live, CD Projekt Red has seemingly faced an uphill battle, but the company does seem interested in doing what it can to bring the game back from the brink. It's also impossible to ignore the Cyberpunk 2077 hack slowing the developer down, but that's just the latest in a complicated development cycle.
In fact, many have compared Cyberpunk 2077's development, release, and reception to Anthem, and there's no denying the similarities. Both had high expectations, both were not ready for launch, both had a myriad of issues, and both ultimately let a lot of people down. After Anthem's cancellation, it seems some have taken to the thought that its the same road Cyberpunk 2077 is headed for: cancellation. Context and key differences between the two games, though, would suggest that the end stop for both games doesn't have to be the same.
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One thing to keep in mind when discussing Cyberpunk 2077's future, at least in comparison to Anthem's, is that the former is indeed a single-player game. Anthem's core mechanical problems were so severe and the game was ultimately so empty at launch that rebooting it was the best option. It's unclear exactly what would have changed, but beyond technical issues and the like, there needed to be a renewed focus on balanced and satisfying loot, changes to how Javelins work in terms of RPG progression, better live service elements that keep players returning, and more. In short, Anthem 2.0 was a complete overhaul no matter how someone looks at it, and it would have probably looked significantly different.
On the other hand, Cyberpunk 2077 does have a lot of technical and bug issues to work out, but there's no need to completely overhaul it. Looking at its Metacritic scores, it has a 3.6/57 user/critic score on the PS4 and a 7.1/85 user/critic score on PC. Fundamentally, there is a better version of the game out there, so improving these issues and bringing the console versions up to par with the PC version essentially means most of the biggest issues with the game are resolved, and maybe many bugs too. That's not to say this is a simple process, and that's not to say that Cyberpunk 2077 will ever be the game that was promised—but that is to say the problems and required fixes that led to Anthem 2.0's cancellation are probably not in the same boat as Cyberpunk 2077.
Of course, while it is always good to assume the best, sometimes players should prepare for the worst. Cyberpunk 2077 has a roadmap, as lackluster as it may seem, and there are PS5/Xbox Series X versions of the game forthcoming. There is single-player DLC for the game, and a lot of this could bring the game into a better light if done correctly. But in preparing for the worst, if future development of Cyberpunk 2077 is cancelled, it still wouldn't end up much like Anthem.
Again, this is a single-player game vs. a live-service looter shooter. Anthem's cancellation is just the beginning of the end for it; eventually, one day, Anthem's servers will shut down too. The game will essentially be no more. On the other hand, Cyberpunk 2077 being a single-player game means that, to whatever stage CD Projekt Red gets the game to, it'll remain. Hopefully, it gets far enough that it comes back to the PlayStation Store, but between the other platforms, its performance on PC, and physical copies, Cyberpunk 2077 won't really end. For now, fans really just have to see what becomes of this game, but while the game's beginning is like Anthem all over again, the end doesn't have to be.
Anthem is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.