'Cyberpunk 2077': Gamers Shocked by 'Unprecedented' Removal From PlayStation Store

Cyberpunk 2077 has been removed from the PlayStation Store in a move that gamers and reporters have described as "unprecedented." Gamers playing the long-awaited release from CD Projekt Red have experienced numerous issues on the PS4 and Xbox One base consoles since its release less than three weeks ago.

Those playing on last-gen consoles faced bugs, glitches, and crashes that impacted the overall experience. Despite the Cyberpunk team promising patch releases in January and February, Sony has decided to offer refunds to those playing on PS4 and will remove Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store until further notice.

In a statement on the PlayStation website, Sony explained why it was removing the game from the store: "SIE strives to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction." The Cyberpunk team then responded on Friday morning and said: "We are working hard to bring Cyberpunk 2077 back to PlayStation Store as soon as possible."

Despite the issues surrounding Cyberpunk 2077 and even an apology from the Cyberpunk team about the last-gen console experience, gamers and gaming industry insiders are shocked at Sony's decision.

Game designer Mark Kern, or @Grummz on Twitter, said: "I've never seen a 'recall' of a game at the scale of Cyberpunk 2077 before. Every Sony copy eligible for a refund. Store delisting. Unprecedented."

Parris, a gamer and content creator, said: "speechless at how unprecedented all of this is and all of it falls on leadership. the devs/PR teams who have given years of hard work and passion to Cyberpunk 2077 deserved better. 2020 sucks."

Other gaming commentators are speculating that the game was rushed out by management or corporate, as opposed to the faulty graphics and glitches being the fault of the developers and programmers.

Jason Schreier, video game reporter for Bloomberg News, said: "You have to wonder: How many programmers/testers/other devs at CD Projekt Red tried to raise the alarm that the game was just not ready, only to be rebuffed or ignored by the studio's management?"

Game designer and video game journalist Gary Whitta said: "I feel terrible for the Cyberpunk devs, working their hearts out for a decade only to have ashes as their reward.

"This is on corporate, who knew the game wasn't shippable but shipped it anyway. This will go down as one of the great unforced errors in video game history. Alas."

Kallie Plagge, review editor at GameSpot, said: "It probably goes without saying but the Cyberpunk 2077 situation is such a bummer.

"It's not my job to defend a company (nor would I) but I really feel for the individuals who worked unbelievably hard and certainly never wanted this outcome. It just sucks!"

Gamers who purchased the game for PS4 from PlayStation and do not want to wait for the patch releases in January and February can claim a refund from PlayStation.

It is unclear when the game will be re-added to the PlayStation Store, but if the patch releases expected early next year come with significant improvements, perhaps PlayStation will be willing to list the game sometime shortly after.