Cyberpunk 2077 is in a weird position of being a massive financial success and a catastrophic failure, a best-selling game that was pulled from storefronts, a critical darling (among pre-launch reviewers, at least) that has been subjected to relentless criticism. But what I find strangest of all about it is that its story isn't more common.
We've had plenty of big games that failed to live up to the marketing hype. We've had plenty of developers resort to death march crunch to finish up a game that looks like it's going to be a complete mess just months before launch. We've had literally unplayable games at launch.
But I don't recall anything like Cyberpunk 2077 before. I don't recall a major platform holder ever banishing a AAA title from its storefront because the game was simply too prone to bugs and crashing. I don't recall a developer refunding customers for the full price of a $250 collector's edition of the game and then letting them keep it. I don't recall a company facing multiple investor lawsuits over a game that sold 13 million copies its first month.

Was the Cyberpunk 2077 launch a perfect storm? | This Week in Business | GamesIndustry.biz