10 "Next Big Thing" Video Games That Disappeared Overnight
2. Cyberpunk 2077
With eight years of slow-burning hype that rose to fever pitch as the game drew closer, it seemed that Cyberpunk 2077’s delays only made players thirst even harder for the stylish sci-fi dystopia.
Before it’s launch, CD Projekt Red said that Cyberpunk’s 8 million pre-orders alone had recouped production costs. However, the game’s legacy is in its colossal launch failure. Widely regarded as the worst release in video game history, as the game was totally unplayable on previous generation hardware and not exactly in ship-shape condition unless you had a high-end PC.
Unlike other games in this list, Cyberpunk didn’t necessarily vanish from the public consciousness after its release. In fact, it probably got even more coverage as every outlet within gaming and even outside of the industry took their (deserved) shots against it.
But once the well was dry of hilarious memes and uncomfortable glitch compilations, everyone finally moved on to the next thing and left the smouldering wreckage of Cyberpunk behind.
Most gamers wouldn’t even be aware of what the state of Cyberpunk is currently in, and the two years of updates since have successfully turned it at least into a much more functional game on all systems.
With the bubble burst, it’s unlikely that its upcoming Netflix tie-in anime or additional content will scrape back even a fraction of the interest it had before it imploded.