Polish game-maker CD Projekt was hit with a class action suit alleging that the Warsaw-based company lied about the game’s unfinished state in order to protect its stock price.
The suit, filed Thursday in US District Court in Central California by the New York-based Rosen Law Firm, excoriates CD Projekt for its recently-released Cyberpunk 2077.
The blockbuster game — which features Hollywood star Keanu Reeves in a prominent role — has seen a disastrous rollout, with gamers and reviewers reporting that the software is virtually unplayable for many with current generation PlayStation 4 and Xbox Series X consoles.
CD Projekt acted with “reckless disregard for the truth” when hyping up its game, failing to inform both investors and customers that it would not be fully finished and playable for many gamers until at least February, lawyers for Rosen said in a statement.
The problems were reportedly so severe and widespread that Sony was forced to pull it from its PlayStation Store, while Xbox maker Microsoft has offered refunds.
“[Investors] would not have purchased the Company’s securities at the artificially inflated prices that they did, or at all,” had they known about the game’s bug-riddled status, the lawsuit states.
CD Projekt earlier this month released an apology to gamers for now allowing them “to make a more informed decision” about their $60 purchase.
The game’s troubled roll-out has sent CD Projekt’s shares down 40 percent since early December, when reports of the game’s seemingly unfinished state began making waves a week before its release.
CD Projekt said this week that it sold 13 million Cyberpunk 2077 copies between Dec. 10 and Dec. 20 — short of the 16.4 million units analysts had predicted as demand for video games skyrocket.
