Never before has a game been so poorly received that it has forced a government body to step in. In the latest controversy to hitCyberpunk 2077, the Polish Government may soon take action against CD Projekt Red, according to recent reports.
As CD Projekt Red is a Polish studio currently based in Poland's capital, Warsaw, it is under the jurisdiction of Polish law.
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Here's everything you need to know about why the Polish government is keeping an extra close eye on Cyberpunk's future updates...
Polish Government investigating Cyberpunk 2077
The Polish Government's competition regulator, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) is investigating CD Projekt Red over the issues Cyberpunk 2077 faces.
According to the Polish newspaper Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (reported by GamesIndustry.biz), the watchdog is monitoring the progress of Cyberpunk 2077's future updates, which are said to rectify many of the game's current problems.
UOKiK's spokesperson, Małgorzata Cieloch, gave a further insight into its investigation, stating they are set to look at how CD Projekt Red is "working on the introduction of amendments or solution to difficulties preventing the game [from working] on different consoles" alongside how the company will respond to consumers wanting refunds because they are "dissatisfied with [their] purchase due to the inability to play games on owned equipment despite previous assurances."
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What could happen to CD Projekt Red?
As the watchdog is still investigating, no action has yet been taken on whether to punish CD Projekt Red. However, if UOKiK is unsatisfied with future patches or the state of Cyberpunk 2077, the studio could be fined up to 10% of its annual income, or be forced into refunds.
CDPR has not yet released its financial report from 2020. Based on its 2019 annual report, in which the company had a revenue of zł521m ($124.9m), the company could receive a fine of over $12m or zł52m.
However, as CDPR's income for 2020 is likely to be much greater than its 2019 income, given the profitable launch of Cyberpunk 2077, the potential fine could be much larger.
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Why is the Polish Government so interest in Cyberpunk 2077?
Aside from ensuring no wrongdoing happens under its jurisdiction, the Polish Government has reason to carefully monitor CD Projekt Red.
In 2016, the Polish Government announced a new initiative to grow its game development industry. As part of this, CD Projekt Red, along with Techland, Bloober Team and other Polish studios, received various amounts of funding.
CD Projekt Red received the most funding, being granted zł30m ($7m) by the National Center for Research of Development. Not only does the Government want to see this money go to good use, but it will not want to see its growing games industry suffer at the hands of Cyberpunk 2077.
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