‘Cyberpunk’ Slump

Shares of video game publisher CD Projekt’s stock plummeted surrounding the release of its much-hyped “Cyberpunk 2077.”

The long-awaited game, which cost the Polish studio $130 million to develop over eight years, debuted to mixed reviews as players encountered a number of glitches and bugs.

CD Projekt’s stock, traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, fell about 22% between when the first reviews published and the game’s Dec. 10 launch date. It fell an additional 7.3% the day it debuted. Shares closed Friday at $87.29, down from an all-time high of $125.50 in August. 

For a brief period earlier this year, CD Projekt had the highest market value among public companies in Poland at nearly $11 billion.

Despite the negative press, “Cyberpunk 2077” is on its way to being one of the best-selling video game debuts of all time. 

The game sold 8 million pre-orders — nearly $500 million in sales. Of those, 74% were digital copies with a higher profit margin.

CD Projekt announced that it has already recouped the costs of development and marketing.