Cyberpunk 2077 Has A Hype Problem

The Duke Nukem Effect

For decades, game developers have had to balance between what can be considered too much or too little when it comes to hype surrounding their release.

Overhype and you risk the game being a letdown; torn to pieces by critics for not living up to expectations. Under-hype and lose out on sales due to a lack of interest or exposure to the public.

And then there is the worst kind, which unfortunately Cyberpunk 2077 finds itself in: The “Duke Nukem” phase of hype, where fans have been excited for so long that it becomes increasingly more draining to keep up the same level of passion.

Duke Nukem Forever was a title released back in 2011, as a follow up to the original. The title took fifteen years to hit consoles, and was widely garnered as one of the most disappointing releases of all time.

What's more is the post-Duke notion that extensive delays mean the title may be stuck in development hell. What was first presented all those years ago may no longer be the same game shown on release.

While Cyberpunk has changed drastically since 2018, most signs point towards the game being improved overall. Changes to graphics and some combat tweaks seem to be the brunt of changes so far.

Delays always put a massive dampener on any hype amassed for a title. One of the reasons Cyberpunk has been hit so hard comes from how close players are to receiving the game when news drops.