It’s no mystery thatCyberpunk 2077had a troubled development process. From delays to miles of overtime, CD Projekt Red struggled with a number of issues throughoutCyberpunk’s creation, some relating to the dated hardware on PS4s and Xbox Ones and some due to inefficient decision-making. Because of this, the game has been plagued with bugs and accusations of cut content. Now, the development studio is working to correct the many issues found after launch, even months later.
But one game lesser-known to have a troubled launch is the2013 hitBioShock Infinite. The third installment in the successfulBioShockseries released in a crowded year alongside other hits such asThe Last of Us,GTA V, andAssassin’s Creed: Black Flag. Still, with its impactful story and beautifully written characters, it’s still a fan favorite many years later. But similar toCyberpunk 2077,BioShock Infinitesaw more than hiccups to disrupt its road to launch.
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Similarities Between Cyberpunk 2077 and BioShock Infinite’s Development Processes
Starting development in 2008 and releasing in 2013, five years might not be long by modern standards. ButBioShock Infinitesuffered delays the same way thatCyberpunk 2077changed course. However, the rumor is thatCyberpunkdidn’t truly “begin” the bulk of its development until 2016, which would make the times of their lengths about the same, if true.
One rumor says thatCyberpunk 2077’s story completely changed course once Keanu Reeves was brought on, and the plot was rewritten to focus on Johnny Silverhand. Rumors also say this wasn’t the first time thatCyberpunk 2077’s story was changed, though CDPR denies that its plot was changed drastically at all. According to Jason Schreier’s recent report via Polygon,BioShock Infinitewent through several rewrites, cuts, and reboots. And there’s reason to think thatCyberpunk 2077cut many features, such as cyberoptics and third-person cutscenes, which previously looked like it was meant to big an important part of the game, based on early trailers and gameplay demos.
In fact, when Don Roy came onto the project following the impressive 2011 demo forBioShock Infinite, the game was only in pieces and didn’t quite have a playable version for him to test out. Similarly, reports say thatCyberpunk 2077’s 2018 E3 demo was fabricatedsolely for that event, and some developers felt that spending time working on the “almost entirely fake” demo rather than a “real” version ofCyberpunkwas a waste, according to another Schreier report.
The track of both games' multiplayer modes is also similar and will be even more so ifCyberpunk 2077’s online multiplayer gets scrappedcompletely. Originally,BioShock Infiniteplanned to have two multiplayer modes as well to keep players interested in the game after they finished the main campaign. But as the single-player mode fell behind, multiplayer was scrapped for time, throwing away several months of work.
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Differences Between Cyberpunk 2077 and BioShock Infinite’s Development Processes
The major difference betweenCyberpunk 2077andBioShock Infinite’s development processes is the final results. UnlikeCyberpunk, Irrational was able to getInfiniteout the door with minimal issues, whereas CDPR is still attempting to fix the manybugs and issues present inCyberpunk 2077, even months after it released.
A large percentage of these issues, such as crashing and improper rendering, is due to the outdated hardware in PS4s and Xbox Ones. While not all users playing on these consoles came across these issues, many struggled to render even NPC faces some of the time, and others experienced severe console and game crashing.CDPR theorizes it was too ambitiouswhen creating a large space such as Night City without virtually any loading screens for last-gen consoles.BioShock Infinite, on the other while, also aimed to exhibit a stunningly detailed environment. However, it’s not an open-world game, meaning less NPCs, textures, and objects to render in-game.
That isn’t to say analyzingBioShock Infinite’s development years isn’t important, especially when looking at how the intense crunch impacted employees on the project. But because the final product was sleek and polished, players are less likely to recognize the hardships that developers endured between 2008 and 2013.
Cyberpunk 2077is currently available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S updates in development.
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