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Four class action lawsuits over Cyberpunk 2077 troubled launch are combining

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

The Witcher developer confirmed on Tuesday that a lead plaintiff has been appointed and following this consolidation, all four lawsuits will now be subject to potential common court proceedings.

The action is in relation to Cyberpunk 2077’s troubled launch, centred around criticism of the game’s performance on last-gen consoles and Cyberpunk’s removal from the PlayStation Store, which saw CD Projekt’s share price fall by 15% on December 18.

The lawsuits include at least two class actions from some of its own shareholders, who allege that CD Projekt violated federal laws by misleading investors over the quality of Cyberpunk 2077 on consoles, consequently causing them to incur damages.
 

Umbasaborne

Banned
I feel for the devs and qa team, and i hope they dont lose their jobs. but i dont feel bad at all for the upper management there. Lying snakes who put out a broken game knowing full well it wasn’t ready to go. Who put unrealistic launch expectations on their team and crunched them endlessly. As far as im concerned, if the people who run that company never work in this industry again, the industry would be better for it.

i hope this game will serve as a warning against misrepresenting your game (downgrading), and releasing unfinished products.
 
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M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
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Get fucked, the truth is, no fucking company ever did reviews like these fuckers. So fuck you.
 

Burger

Member
I'm surprised CDPR has any sort of office or legal entity in the United States that would even allow it to be issued with a class action lawsuit. Generally you don't really have 'collective redress' in Europe (where CDPR is based) and it's only now becoming a possibility for Europeans to pursue this sort of lawsuit.
 

Kuranghi

Gold Member
They should be forced to pay £10k for every unsatisfied customer, reminds me of something they once sanctioned....
 

Excess

Member
The people who filed these claims aren't you're regular group John Doe's, they're a group of investors.

Yeah, no thanks. I'd rather see the judge throw this out.

66VC1uK.jpg
 

Cyberpunkd

Member
I feel for the devs and qa team, and i hope they dont lose their jobs. but i dont feel bad at all for the upper management there.
I think it was Schreier that said once: ‘The most aggressive monetisation schemes do not come from business side, they come from developers’.

Devs love to paint themselves as victims but most likely they too had bonuses linked to hitting milestones which made them either downplay or outright ignore problems with the game.
 
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b0uncyfr0

Member
CDPR deserves it though... They really do.
Also to the Dev's and their non involvement , was that ever confirmed? I seem to remember a shitload of videos with Marcin or one of the leads talking out of his ass for 25 mins straight about crazy features and non existent shit.

Was he forced to do that..? I find it hard to believe not a single Dev could come out and say, 'be careful, it's not ready'.
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

The Polish company confirmed last week that four class action lawsuits filed in the US had been consolidated and that a lead plaintiff had been appointed ahead of potential common court proceedings.

Asked to provide an update on the matter during a shareholder meeting on Tuesday, board member and chief financial officer Piotr Nielubowicz said through a translator that the lawsuit is due to be filed with the court next month.

“The court has selected a representative of the opposing party, a law firm representing them and their lead plaintiff – that is the main person representing that claiming party,” Nielubowicz said.

“As of today, we are not aware of a value of a potential claim. The actual suit shall be filed with the court until the end of June.”
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

Following the botched launch, a number of CD Projekt shareholders in the US filed class action lawsuits accusing the company of violating federal laws by misleading investors over the quality of Cyberpunk 2077, causing them to incur damages.

In May, CD Projekt confirmed that four class action lawsuits filed in the US had been consolidated and that a lead plaintiff had been appointed ahead of potential common court proceedings.

But in a regulatory update on Wednesday, CD Projekt said it had been informed by its law firm that the US District Court for the Central District of California “had suspended proceedings concerning the motion to dismiss due to the parties having entered into negotiations concerning a potential settlement”.

The filing continued: “Should a consensus be reached with regard to the conditions of the potential settlement, the parties will file for its approval by the Court.

“The decision on whether to approve the settlement and permit its implementation shall be issued by the Court once certain additional formal conditions are satisfied.

“It should also be noted that entering into negotiations concerning a potential settlement should in no way be construed as acceptance by the Company or members of its Management Board of any allegations expressed in the plaintiffs’ court filings.”
 

Nickolaidas

Member
So basically they urged Cd Project to release the game half-assed because they were in a hurry to get their money back and then some, despite CD Project telling them it's not ready yet, and now they are suing them for releasing the game half-assed despite CD Project telling them it's not ready yet.

Or, scenario B, CD Project assured them it was ready and turned out to be a clusterfuck. In B, CD Project deserve the grief. In A, though, the investors are assholes.
 

Castef

Banned

The Witcher developer confirmed on Tuesday that a lead plaintiff has been appointed and following this consolidation, all four lawsuits will now be subject to potential common court proceedings.

The action is in relation to Cyberpunk 2077’s troubled launch, centred around criticism of the game’s performance on last-gen consoles and Cyberpunk’s removal from the PlayStation Store, which saw CD Projekt’s share price fall by 15% on December 18.

The lawsuits include at least two class actions from some of its own shareholders, who allege that CD Projekt violated federal laws by misleading investors over the quality of Cyberpunk 2077 on consoles, consequently causing them to incur damages.
This is like watching at a Voltron episode, yet bloodier.
 

kyussman

Member
They built a game they knew fully well would struggle to run on some of the hardware it was going to release on,they cared not in the slightest for the fans buying it on those systems.....all they cared about was getting their money back and making a lot more......fuck 'em in the ear!
 
CDPR management DEFINITELY lied to their investors before, during, and after launch. It's all in the transcripts from their investor calls.
 
So basically they urged Cd Project to release the game half-assed because they were in a hurry to get their money back and then some, despite CD Project telling them it's not ready yet, and now they are suing them for releasing the game half-assed despite CD Project telling them it's not ready yet.

Or, scenario B, CD Project assured them it was ready and turned out to be a clusterfuck. In B, CD Project deserve the grief. In A, though, the investors are assholes.
Read the transcripts, it's B. CD, after launch, was STILL trying to tell the investors that they didn't realize how bad the console versions were before launch. Except, the fact that they didn't provide console reviews proves that they knew exactly how badly 2077 was screwed up.
 

Winter John

Member
So basically they urged Cd Project to release the game half-assed because they were in a hurry to get their money back and then some, despite CD Project telling them it's not ready yet, and now they are suing them for releasing the game half-assed despite CD Project telling them it's not ready yet.

Or, scenario B, CD Project assured them it was ready and turned out to be a clusterfuck. In B, CD Project deserve the grief. In A, though, the investors are assholes.

There's no court on the planet that would entertain a lawsuit from shareholders who actively pushed for a faulty product to be released, knowing it would damage their investments.
 
There really should have been an action by fair trading regulators over misleading consumers. Gaming is so under scrutinised by them. It’s still an area of commerce where you can make fanciful unsupported claims to entice people to spend money via pre orders and deliver on none of them.
 

Spaceman292

Banned
Imagine working so hard to make the game, then listen all of this BS.
It's a roll of the dice. Witcher 3 launched buggy as hell and people thought it was the best thing ever. Cyberpunk comes out and people act as if the box was filled with racial slurs instead of a disc. In reality both games are great and people are stupid.
 

ButchCat

Member
I wonder what the settlement details are before any negotiations $$?
 
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RoboFu

One of the green rats
And everyone on the list will receive their $10 while the lawyers will get 10 million.
class actions are rarely ever more than a quick money grab by shady lawyers.
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

So controversial was the launch that a lawsuit was filed against CD Projekt Red shortly after Cyberpunk 2077 came out. The developer was under investigation pretty much from the word "go," with a Polish law firm suggesting that the studio may have acted illegally by misrepresenting the finished product for financial benefit. The game itself, while highly praised when it worked, was notorious for serious issues, especially on the Xbox One and PS4 versions. In fact, Sony eventually pulled the title from its digital storefront after a series of complaints that it was barely playable for some.

Now the lawsuit filed over the state of Cyberpunk 2077 at launch looks like it's finally coming to an end, as a federal judge in California has approved a settlement of $1.85 million, which is to be paid to the group of investors who initially made the claim. Under the terms of the settlement, CD Projekt Red along with Rosen Law Firm, which is representing the investors, will need to request approval again by April 28, but the developer doesn't need to "admit to any specific charges" brought against it, according to PCGamesN.

Some reading this may be getting a sense of deja vu, as the lawsuit over Cyberpunk 2077 was originally settled in December 2021. However, according to GamesRadar, the settlement was denied approval in April by US District Judge Fernando M. Olguin, though a revised settlement was provided soon after. In essence, it's taken a good couple of years for investors to finally see the end of this case.
 

Deerock71

Member
Can't the defense just say nobody was forced to buy it, and a rational judge just toss the case out based off that argument? Because A) that first part is true and B) see part A? CD Projekt Red is not a utility like electricity, natural gas, or gasoline, and artists, like authors and movie producers/directors, put out incomplete junk all the time, but they don't have class action lawsuits levied at them because of their incompetence.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member

So controversial was the launch that a lawsuit was filed against CD Projekt Red shortly after Cyberpunk 2077 came out. The developer was under investigation pretty much from the word "go," with a Polish law firm suggesting that the studio may have acted illegally by misrepresenting the finished product for financial benefit. The game itself, while highly praised when it worked, was notorious for serious issues, especially on the Xbox One and PS4 versions. In fact, Sony eventually pulled the title from its digital storefront after a series of complaints that it was barely playable for some.

Now the lawsuit filed over the state of Cyberpunk 2077 at launch looks like it's finally coming to an end, as a federal judge in California has approved a settlement of $1.85 million, which is to be paid to the group of investors who initially made the claim. Under the terms of the settlement, CD Projekt Red along with Rosen Law Firm, which is representing the investors, will need to request approval again by April 28, but the developer doesn't need to "admit to any specific charges" brought against it, according to PCGamesN.

Some reading this may be getting a sense of deja vu, as the lawsuit over Cyberpunk 2077 was originally settled in December 2021. However, according to GamesRadar, the settlement was denied approval in April by US District Judge Fernando M. Olguin, though a revised settlement was provided soon after. In essence, it's taken a good couple of years for investors to finally see the end of this case.
Who knows how that $1.85M settlement will be split across the investors, but kudos for them for getting something back. Cant say the same for gamers as they eat up pre-orders and PR videos instead of waiting for day one reviews. And repeat lousy purchase habits for every bad game launched in the industry.
 

Magic Carpet

Gold Member
Who knows how that $1.85M settlement will be split across the investors, but kudos for them for getting something back. Cant say the same for gamers as they eat up pre-orders and PR videos instead of waiting for day one reviews. And repeat lousy purchase habits for every bad game launched in the industry.
I waited and read what seemed like dozens of great, awesome, amazing reviews for CP77. I then bought the game. No preorder, just reading all the wrong places.
This game was my start of this great, awesome, amazing disappointment of a generation. I would like to see this game company and all those who wrote those reviews get a Texas Tiddy Twister.
 

WitchHunter

Banned
[/URL]

The Witcher developer confirmed on Tuesday that a lead plaintiff has been appointed and following this consolidation, all four lawsuits will now be subject to potential common court proceedings.

The action is in relation to Cyberpunk 2077’s troubled launch, centred around criticism of the game’s performance on last-gen consoles and Cyberpunk’s removal from the PlayStation Store, which saw CD Projekt’s share price fall by 15% on December 18.

The lawsuits include at least two class actions from some of its own shareholders, who allege that CD Projekt violated federal laws by misleading investors over the quality of Cyberpunk 2077 on consoles, consequently causing them to incur damages.
Dlc incomiiiiiing.
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
So investors pressure the company into pushing the game out earlier so that they could have some additional money in their coffers by the end of the fiscal quarter, and then they sue the company when the game turns out to be unfinished.

Class act.
 

yurinka

Member
Can't the defense just say nobody was forced to buy it, and a rational judge just toss the case out based off that argument? Because A) that first part is true and B) see part A? CD Projekt Red is not a utility like electricity, natural gas, or gasoline, and artists, like authors and movie producers/directors, put out incomplete junk all the time, but they don't have class action lawsuits levied at them because of their incompetence.
The company made some weird decisions and broke promises made to investors, and the troubled launch the stock value of the company highly decreased beyond what it's normal with a troubled launch, so some shareholders sued the company because they can't be lied to. The company knew they were going to lose the case so decided to settle.
 
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