You realize that NMS basically not only restored the reputation of its studio, but made people want to buy the tons of DLC it pumped out after the redemption arc, right? This included people who were turned away from it initially. Massive companies don't pull a NMS because typically they have multiple studios and multiple projects, so they can eat the loss. CD Projekt is unique in that it works on one project, it really doesn't have anything else.
NMS doesn't have dlc, every update was free. they don't have any other games either (prolly one of the reasons they stuck with NMS), besides the last campfire, and that's more a publishing gig I think. they're still working off the money from 4 years ago and additional game sales, it's one of the reasons people give them so much slack.
they might try to sell dlc at some point, but I doubt it. not only wouldn't it really fit into the game besides superficial stuff, so would look like cheap monetizing, it would probably still generate bad PR.
CD Projekt banked its entire reputation not to mention nearly a decade of dev time to it. It doesn't have any other projects or teams to fall back on. It cannot get back its reputation. It can't just, like other publishers, foist the blame on the development team. It IS the development team. I'd say it has to pull a NMS, otherwise its basically just going to be acquisition bait for a bigger company. It has no other games or products. It is not big enough where it has other things in the pipe. It doesn't have teams. It has no other products. CD Projekt is feast or famine with one project at a time and that famine period is going to feel very long indeed.
I'd say the only path is for them to do a NMS redemption story, but that will not happen because of shit management and no idea why the product failed in the first place.
not having anything besides witcher and cyberpunk also means they don't have an extensive IP catalogue to plunder. any company that buys CDPR would just get a bunch of devs that just shat out one of the biggest debacles in videogame history. no assets and no talent doesn't make it very attractive.
that's actually an argument for a NMS treatment, but it also begs the question where the money's supposed to come from. any money they dump into CDPR won't go towards their next project that, even with their tarnished rep, will most likely generate more profit than cp2077 ever could at this point. it's simply more sensible to salvage what's economically feasible and move on than double down.
It is going to be insanely difficult to just make this 'good enough' and still have people buy your other shit. CD Projekt's reputation was the thing that differentiated it from other companies. Without that, its just another EA, Ubi or Activision.
what does reputation matter really? for CDPR it was a lot of hot air anyway from lot of people being retarded, and considering EA and it's funky bunch are still in business with all the shit they've pulled and still do, all CDPR has to do is shill witcher 4 featuring ciri (so progressive!) and everybody will conveniently forget cp2077 or at worst reserve their judgment till launch and not preorder outright (lol jk). you know it, I know it.
heck, if they're smart (and considering their marketing department just sold a turd to millions of people) they could even build on that by being upfront and open about it to generate hype and forget cyberpunk even faster.
