Cyberpunk 2077 could be the 'first of many' as developers could start improving performance by ditching old-gen consoles

A few days back, Cyberpunk 2077 became a topic of discussion following the announcement made by CD Projekt Red. While a brand new expansion has been announced for 2023, old-gen console users won’t be able to enjoy the benefits. CD Projekt Red has decided that the game will no longer be actively supported on older consoles following the release of the existing patch 1.6.

The developers didn’t explicitly elaborate on the exact rationale behind their decision, but the speculation was along the lines of performance. Most fans feel that the decision is correct if CD Projekt Red wants the game to reach its potential. Some have felt that the game isn’t made for the hardware of older-gen consoles.

What makes the decision even more interesting is that Cyberpunk 2077 will continue to be available on older-gen consoles. It will likely continue to receive minor updates, but CD Projekt Red’s focus is crystal clear.

They might not be alone, as other developers will likely join them in doing something similar with their games. While the reasons could differ, it’s not very hard to understand why such decisions might be made.

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Cyberpunk 2077 and its improvement could signal developers to stay away from older-generation consoles in the future

Cyberpunk 2077 has always continued to be a classic tale of unfulfilled potential despite the improvements in recent times. When the first trailer dropped, it created an incredible amount of hype. CD Projekt Red delivered with The Witcher saga, and fan expectations were very high.

Even with a sequence of delays, fans were ready to wait as they wanted to play a perfect and not a rushed game. Despite the delays, the release was underwhelming as it missed several promised items. It was filled with terrible bugs, glitches, and more.

Fast forward since then, and players now have a much more refined version of the game. The next-generation upgrade has played a key part in giving Cyberpunk 2077 a much-required overhaul. This might have been the biggest reason CD Projekt Red made the decision.

The Xbox Series XlS and the PlayStation 5 were released late in 2020 and will complete their second anniversary in a couple of months. Both brands are working on getting upgraded versions out, enhancing their capabilities even more. In certain ways, their capabilities are closest to the high-powered gaming PCs available on the market.

If CD Projekt Red has to continue supporting older-gen consoles, it will have to find a compromise with all its products. They will either need to release two separate versions of the same content or create something less than its potential so that it can run smoothly on all devices.

As the current-gen consoles become more widely available, developers will start to think more about them and how to optimize their games accordingly. To begin with, game-making isn’t a cheap activity, and supporting a platform that keeps getting older makes even less sense.

Earlier in the year, Gotham Knights announced that it would only be released on current-gen consoles. This did create resentment and anger among the community as several gamers felt robbed. However, the developers have been showcasing why they decided to make the compromise, even if it meant enraging their fanbase.

While Halo Infinite recently announced plans to scrap split-screen co-op, several players blamed old-gen consoles for it. They believe that 343 Industries have its hands tied as they want to support both generations of consoles. This has been said about Cyberpunk 2077 in the past, and it finally appears that CD Projekt Red has listened.

Whether Cyberpunk 2077 will go on to become the game that was promised will be a matter of time. Even after going current-gen, CD Projekt Red will have to avoid the mistakes they have made in the past. However, Cyberpunk 2077 may be the moment of a massive shift in the industry as more developers and publishers look at the benefits of ditching the older consoles of Xbox and PlayStation.