Earlier this year, CD Projekt was hit with a massive ransomware attack that supposedly saw the entire Cyberpunk 2077 source code leak online. As part of those leaks, several internal comedy bug reels have apparently surfaced online.
As spotted by VGC, several videos supposedly created by CDPR show a gag reel of bugs, and work-in-progress development footage (including a motorcycle made out of hotdogs and burgers) set to some truly heinous music—including a "shitty flute" cover of the main trailer theme.
The leak was verified by CDPR producer Slava Lukyanenka, who described the montages as "a fun composition of bug materials collected by QA and developers through years of development". VGC speculates that the footage may have been intended as a kind of bonus "gag reel" extra in the final release, ultimately pulled after the state of the release version became clear.
“This Tweet has been deleted.” pic.twitter.com/lxRSRslen6June 6, 2021
Look. It's not particularly egregious to be laughing at your own game's bugs before launch. Games—especially massive, complicated, triple-A games—are often profoundly broken right up until the last minute, and I've a few hilarious examples from my own time working QA on a blockbuster game.
But the optics aren't great considering the absolutely dismal state Cyberpunk 2077 launched in. The developer's internal videos are indistinguishable from those made by fans post-release.
CDPR is still working to right Cyberpunk 2077's issues, with half the studio supposedly working on fixing the ailing RPG. The game also has a new game director in Gabriel Amatangelo, who has taken over responsibilities from studio head Adam Badowski.
Cyberpunk's multiplayer release has also largely been set aside, and the studio is quietly beginning work on a new triple-A RPG. Don't expect to hear anything about that for some time, though—after the CP2077 debacle, CD Projekt doesn't seem keen on revealing another game years ahead of release.
