Cyberpunk 2077 has almost a million viewers on Twitch

Even though Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t officially release for a few more hours, players who either got the game early, or are playing from an earlier timezone, are streaming the game on Twitch to an audience of almost a million viewers.

As players are desperate to see if the game has lived up to its years worth of hype, the Twitch viewership for Cyberpunk 2077 has skyrocketed to the top of the Twitch charts. The top streamers at the moment are those many will recognize, such as Shroud and xQc.

This is insane. #Cyberpunk2077 pic.twitter.com/hhiAiM6Md5

— michalpg (@michalpg) December 9, 2020

Is Cyberpunk 2077 a good game?

Good is really a subjective term, but one thing worth pointing out is that Cyberpunk 2077 followed behind the game many considered to be an era defining RPG. The Witcher 3 ended up being a game that pushed what RPGs could be, and became the new benchmark that every new RPG had to compare itself to.

The Witcher 3 also had the benefit of not really having that much to live up to. Its predecessor, The Witcher 2, was itself an amazing RPG and definitely one of the best at the time of its release, but could hardly be called era defining.

Whereas The Witcher games aimed to please fans of the series, Cyberpunk 2077 will now have to serve as an introduction to CD Projekt Red’s games for a whole new generation of players. Cyberpunk 2077 lacks the benefit of a niche fanbase with minimal expectations.

Early reviews for the game imply that Cyberpunk 2077 is indeed a good game, even great for some, but players and fans should absolutely be careful about going in with extreme expectations. It’s rare that a company can create multiple era defining games in such a short span of time.

Be careful watching Cyberpunk 2077 on Twitch

Streamer Privilege. It just brings more sales

— Go beyond (@SupremeTent) December 9, 2020

Another word of warning is that Cyberpunk 2077 is not the kind of game that lends itself well to streaming. The game involves relating to a character and making personal decisions.

When watching a streamer, that streamer may play the game to their liking and may also attempt to play the game in a way that is more entertaining for the stream.

What this means is that for both streamer and viewer, the game may come off as artificial and shallow. RPGs need that key element of player engagement to be experienced to their full potential, and without that, many viewers may be quick to judge the game wrongly.

Do check out the various streams for Cyberpunk 2077, but be careful not to assume that the experience of watching the game will be the same as the experience of playing it.