Polish game maker CD Projekt got a class action lawsuit alleging that the Warsaw-based company had lied about the unfinished state of the game to protect the stock price.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in a U.S. court in Central California by New York-based Rosen Law Firm, denounces CD Projekt for its recently released Cyberpunk 2077.
The blockbuster game – in which Hollywood star Keanu Reeves plays a prominent role – has seen a disastrous rollout, with gamers and reviewers reporting that the software is virtually unplayable for many with the current generation of PlayStation 4 and Xbox Series X consoles.
CD Projekt acted with “ reckless disregard for the truth ” in spicing up its game, not letting investors and clients alike know that it wouldn’t be fully playable and playable for many gamers until February, Rosen’s lawyers said in a statement.
The issues were reportedly so severe and widespread that Sony had to pull it off the PlayStation Store, while Xbox maker Microsoft has offered refunds.
“[Investors] would not have bought the company’s securities at the artificially high prices they were doing, or not at all, ”if they were aware of the game’s bug-riddled status, the lawsuit states.
Earlier this month, CD Projekt issued an apology to gamers for the fact that they can now “make a more informed decision” on their $ 60 purchase.
Due to the difficult rollout of the game, shares of CD Projekt have fallen 40 percent since early December, when reports of the game’s seemingly incomplete state caused a furore a week before release.
CD Projekt said this week that it sold 13 million Cyberpunk 2077 copies between December 10 and December 20 – less than the 16.4 million units analysts predicted when video game demand skyrocketed.