This week in GTA Online, the massive Cayo Perico Heist is now available, which is the first Heist that can be completed solo.

You’d be forgiven for forgetting but, in eons past (well, June), as Cyberpunk received its second delay, CD Projekt led an explanatory letter to fans with the words:

“‘Ready when it’s done’ is not just a phrase we say because it sounds right, it's something we live by even when we know we'll take the heat for it."

Yesterday, in an emergency board meeting amid an increasingly disastrous launch, we got a statement that belied that approach, and even referenced it directly:

“After 3 delays, we as the Management Board were too focused on releasing the game. We underestimated the scale and complexity of the issues, we ignored the signals about the need for additional time to refine the game on the base last-gen consoles. It was the wrong approach and against our business philosophy.”

In the plainest possible terms, Cyberpunk 2077 was not ready, because it was not done – and, according to CD Projekt itself, likely won’t be truly done until February.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/15/cyberpunk-2077-for-xbox-one-and-playstation-4-review"]

In a statement released 4 days after launch, CD Projekt laid out a basic roadmap for patches that will, in their words, “fix the most prominent problems gamers are facing on last-gen consoles.” The console version of the game has been released, but it is not finished - even after hotfixes, base console versions of Cyberpunk 2077 face framerate issues, huge texture load times, and a myriad of bugs. All console versions are still facing crashes (though some players have seen better performances on next-gen consoles running last-gen versions of the game), and even the superior PC version contained an unusual number of bugs at launch. Fixes have begun, and will be ongoing, but last-gen versions won't be truly up to speed until early next year.

Let’s be clear here - it’s fair to expect a modern game to release post-release updates, even ones that specifically address bugs and performance issues, but it’s also fair to expect that game to function at around the standard of other games on its platform before those patches are applied. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, for instance, launched with a number of issues of varying levels of severity, but has seen updates smooth out its rough edges. What we’ve seen with Cyberpunk on base consoles is a step well beyond: a game that IGN has now described as failing “to hit even the lowest bar of technical quality one should expect even when playing on lower-end hardware.” [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=In%20the%20plainest%20possible%20terms%2C%20Cyberpunk%202077%20was%20not%20ready%2C%20because%20it%20was%20not%20done."] 8 million people alone preordered Cyberpunk 2077. According to CD Projekt, 41% of that number (3.28 million) preordered console versions. While the company can’t make estimates on the number of people playing the game on base consoles versus mid-gen upgrades and next-gen, it’s not a stretch to surmise that - along with launch week purchases - millions of people have paid full price for a version that, on their consoles, even CD Projekt describes as “far from satisfactory”.

This situation isn’t just a failure of development and release, it’s a failure of communication.

Unsuspecting consumers simply couldn’t have known about these issues before choosing to buy Cyberpunk 2077 for their last-gen console. CD Projekt never showed the game on a base console pre-release, and it didn’t provide review copies for consoles until the day before launch, leaving no time for a full assessment. Even CD Projekt’s most open moment around the issue - explaining that the game’s third delay came down to last-gen console performance - exacerbates the issue. The game was delayed to fix that problem, so it’s entirely reasonable to expect that problem to be fixed upon release, and CD Projekt gave absolutely no indication that the problems had persisted.

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There remains the unpleasant question mark over how much CD Projekt knew about this before release. It may not have known the scale to which the problems would run, but it feels next to impossible that the developer was unaware of last-gen versions’ performance problems, though some of its senior members' statements seem to say otherwise.

Monday’s public apology says that the company should have “paid more attention” to the base console versions, and SVP of business development Michał Nowakowski subsequently responded to a question about why a further delay wasn’t opted for by saying that the company had concentrated too much on testing PC and next-gen versions’ performance. That offers up the idea that CD Projekt was simply ignorant of, at least, the scale of the issues in the last-gen version.

But, on the other hand, joint CEO Adam Kiciński introduced yesterday’s emergency call with the statement included at the top of this story, explaining that the management board had “ignored the signals about the need for additional time.” Company co-founder Marcin Iwiński adds that last-gen review copies weren’t purposely held back from media to avoid bad coverage, “we were just fixing the game until the very last moment.”

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=This%20situation%20isn%E2%80%99t%20just%20a%20failure%20of%20development%20and%20release%2C%20it%E2%80%99s%20a%20failure%20of%20communication."]

Perhaps most confusing (and some might say ‘damning’), two weeks before launch, Kiciński described base console performance as “surprisingly good” in a Q3 earnings call (transcribed by Seeking Alpha). Being kind, last minute development changes could have resulted in an unexpectedly broken version, just before launch – but no matter the reasoning, these statements give off a distinct impression that CD Projekt very much knew what it was releasing, and lost a race against time to mitigate the damage – perhaps even choosing to limit public exposure to that knowledge.

It speaks to an increasing pattern with CD Projekt of speaking a lot, and saying very little. The company has explained that “in theory” it could have released the game on PC only, delaying console editions, but hasn’t directly addressed why it didn’t. It’s explained that it will allow players to obtain refunds, even as many are denied them. It hasn’t even been totally clear on what the console versions’ future patches will entail, or what update priorities are – in yesterday’s call, Iwiński says he hopes console players will be able to “enjoy the game” by Christmas, but also says the major updates will arrive in January and February, “so, again, we humbly ask gamers to wait.”

On so many details around these issues, CD Projekt is failing to explain to its customers what’s happened, why it happened, and what exactly will be done about it. In the same June apology that I began this story with, the company heads say: “Our intention is to make Cyberpunk 2077 something that will stay with you for years to come. In the end, we hope you understand why we did what we did."

Perhaps one of the biggest indictments of the company, 6 months later, is that we haven’t been allowed to understand at all - and that that may become Cyberpunk’s unwanted legacy.

IGN contacted CD Projekt Red for this article, who declined to comment.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Simpsons creator Matt Groening's wacky animated-fantasy series, Disenchantment, returns for a third season on Netflix on Friday, January 15, 2021. "The excitement builds in Disenchantment Part 3 as Bean continues to grow into her power and own her destiny. As the fearless friends venture out to discover new worlds, they might just find there really is no place like home," according to a synopsis from Netflix. IGN can exclusively reveal the official trailer for Disenchantment Part 3 in the trailer below or at the top of the page: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/15/disenchantment-part-3-exclusive-official-trailer-2021-abbi-jacobson-eric-andre"] Netflix also released a new poster for Season 3 (see below), featuring Bean (Abbi Jacobson) hanging onto a rope for dear life. [caption id="attachment_245275" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] Photo courtesy of Netflix[/caption] Jacobs is joined by an all-star lineup of new and returning voice actors in Season 3, including Eric Andre (as Luci) and Nat Faxon (as Elfo), along with John DiMaggio (Gears of War), Billy West (Futurama), Maurice LaMarche (Animaniacs), Tress MacNeille (The Simpsons), David Herman (Bob's Burgers), and many more. If you're in need of a refresher, be sure to check out our full review of Disenchantment Season 2, which we praised for its "great character development and dynamic new locations to explore." We also break down Disenchantment's Futurama Easter egg right here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Several Stranger Things cast members are coming together to play a special holiday-themed game of Dungeons & Dragons on December 18. Wizards of the Coast has announced that WotC Principal Story Designer, Chris Perkins, will be hosting a special session of D&D on the Stranger Things YouTube channel on Friday at 10am PT. The adventure will see David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, and Natalia Dyer picking up the d20 dice to try their hand at the popular roleplaying game that has become intrinsically linked to the Netflix show.

The cast of Stranger Things played a DnD one shot and you get to watch the whole thing in 3 days. #StrangerThingsDnD pic.twitter.com/jscYPfzpRt

— NX (@NXOnNetflix) December 15, 2020

The trailer shows that this session of D&D wasn't filmed in Wheeler's basement. Instead, WotC shot the game using a SOLO Cinebot, a first-of-its-kind robotic camera, which allowed the fully remote team to capture the event in cinematic-quality while adhering to the ongoing social distancing measures that have been set out as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/09/stranger-things-dungeons-dragons-starter-set-unboxing"] Of course, D&D plays a huge role in Netflix's Stranger Things. From the very first game we see the young friends playing together in Season 1, to Will's efforts to keep the campaign going with his friends in the show's third season, and even to the official tie-in Stranger Things D&D Starter Set, the game has become an integral part of the show and its characters. So much so that, outside of the red game box, the Stranger Things squad actually appear to play out a very similar sort of campaign in their real lives. We think that the friends' heroics to defeat a monster and save a village goes far beyond the tabletop game, with the third season's references, parallels, and homages playing out like one huge, terrifying session of D&D. Have we inspired you to set out on a curiosity voyage? If so, check out our deep dive into how Stranger Things is just one big game of Dungeons and Dragons. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-horror-tv-shows-on-netflix-right-now&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Nintendo is wrapping up the year with another indie world presentation, highlighting 19 games coming to the Nintendo Switch in the coming months, and some as soon as today. Players can look forward to games like Spelunky 2, Cyber Shadow, Fisti-Fluffs and many more in 2021, while a handful of titles, including mobile and PC multiplayer hit Among Us, are available later today. Read on for a breakdown of every game highlighted during the December 15 Indie World showcase. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Among Us: InnerSloth’s hit social deception game is coming to the Nintendo Switch later today, after its previous availability on PC and mobile devices. We recently got a look at Among Us’ newest map, the Airship, during The Game Awards 2020. Spelunky and Spelunky 2: Mossmouth’s acclaimed roguelikes are both coming to Nintendo Switch in 2021. Spelunky 1 will feature local multiplayer, while Spelunky 2 will include online and local multiplayer. For more on the franchise, check out IGN’s Spelunky 2 review from earlier this year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/14/spelunky-2-review"] Fisti-Fluffs: When the humans are away, the cats will… fight in this new action-brawler from Playfellow Studio. Fight for feline supremacy, and customize your cat’s appearance while playing in local and online multiplayer. Fisti-Fluffs hits Switch first in early 2021. Very Very Valet: A new party game launching as a timed exclusive in early 2021 on Switch. Players will compete across 20 locations as they pick up, park, and return cars, but with a twist that makes things a little more complicated. Tunche: A new sidescrolling brawler from LEAP Game Studios featuring hand-drawn animations modeled after the Amazon Rainforest. Play as one of five characters, including Hat Kid from A Hat in Time, on the hunt for the mythical creature, the titular Tunche, when it launches in March 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/03/cyber-shadow-story-trailer"] Cyber Shadow: Published by Shovel Knight’s Yacht Club Games and developed by Mechanical Head Studios, Cyber Shadow is a throwback 2D action-platformer with more than a dozen bosses and ninjutsu skills to master. Exclusive to the Switch edition is the ability to use Shovel Knight amiibo to bring in helper characters inspired by the SKU - the Shovel Knight Universe. Cyber Shadow hits Switch on Jan. 26. Calico: From Whitethorn Games, Calico is available for Switch later today and lets players live out their dreams of owning a cat cafe, in which they can design and deck out the store and player character as they see fit. And, naturally, hang out with some adorable kittens. Alba: A Wildlife Adventure: Previously available on PC and Apple Arcade, Alba is the latest from ustwogames and will hit Switch in Spring 2021. Alba travels to a Mediterranean island to visit her grandparents, and goes on an adventure to save wildlife, recruit citizens to the cause, and ultimately work to save the island. Gnosia: Available in 2021, Gnosia is a new visual novel that sees players working to solve who has been taken over by the Gnosia. Each round takes between 5 and 15 minutes to play, as players learn more about the cast of characters. Happy Game: The latest from Amanita Design, Happy Game is decidedly full of unhappy imagery, despite all the smiley faces in its new trailer. Available in Spring 2021, Happy Game will see players solving puzzles in nightmarish sequences, with music from the band DVA. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=among-us-airship-trailer&captions=true"] Nintendo also highlighted eight other games in a highlight reel, including some like Grindstone and When the Past Was Around being available later today. The list of highlighted games includes:

• Super Meat Boy Forever: Available December 23 as a console launch exclusive
• Grindstone: Available as a console launch exclusive later today
• When the Past Was Around: Available later today
• Kosmokrats: Hitting Switch in March 2021 as a timed console exclusive
• Hoa: Available in April 2021
• Hazel Sky: Hitting Switch in March 2021
• Trash Sailors: Available in Spring 2021
• Finding Paradise: Available in Spring 2021

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Season 5 of The Expanse blasts off on Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday, December 16 with a three-episode premiere, followed by a weekly release rollout for the remaining seven chapters, which will air every Friday until the finale on February 3, 2021. Here's how Amazon describes the upcoming Season 5 of The Expanse: "Amos (Wes Chatham) returns to Earth to confront his past and the legacy of the life he fought to leave behind. Naomi (Dominique Tipper) reaches out to her estranged son in a desperate bid to save him from his father’s toxic influence. Bobbie (Frankie Adams) and Alex (Cas Anvar) confront the collapse of Mars as they chase a shadowy cabal with ties to terrorists and criminals. Holden (Steven Strait) wrestles with the consequences of his own past with the Protomolecule, the aliens who built it, and the mystery of what killed them. Drummer (Cara Gee), with a new crew, fights to escape who and what she used to be. And Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), refusing to be relegated to the sidelines, fights to prevent a terrorist attack unrivaled in history." IGN can exclusively reveal a clip featuring Amos Burton in the video below, or at the top of the page: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/15/the-expanse-season-5-exclusive-official-amos-clip"] In recent news, Amazon announced that The Expanse has been renewed for a sixth and final season ahead of its Season 5 debut. The series is based on the novels written by James S.A. Corey (Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck), who also serve as executive producers with showrunner Naren Shankar steering the ship. There are currently eight published novels in The Expanse saga, with the ninth and final book, titled "Leviathan Falls," set to release in 2021. What do you think of the clip? Let us know in the comments. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-expanse-season-5-gallery&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Marvel Studios has announced a new Legends series that will premiere on Disney+ in 2021. The studio revealed that the Legends series will revisit some of the "most iconic moments from the MCU, one character at time," starting with Wanda Maximoff and Vision, the two stars of WandaVision, which is set to premiere on Disney+ next month. The first two episodes of Marvel Studios: Legends will dive deeper into the stories of Wanda and Vision, and their interconnected path across the MCU.

Marvel Studios: Legends is a new series that revisits some of the most iconic moments from the MCU, one character at a time. Kicking off with Wanda Maximoff and Vision, the first two episodes start streaming Jan. 8, only on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/iTN2kNdhFv

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) December 15, 2020

The opening episodes of the new Legends series will be added to the Disney+ library on January 8, 2021, exactly one week before WandaVision debuts on the platform. After that, the MCU supporting series will continue to release new episodes to feed directly into Marvel's upcoming Disney+ slate, serving as a refresher for fans while simultaneously setting the stage for future events. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] According to the official series synopsis, Marvel Studios: Legends "celebrates and codifies what has come before" by weaving together "the many threads that constitute the unparalleled Marvel Cinematic Universe" and revisiting "the epic heroes, villains, and moments from across the MCU in preparation for the highly anticipated stories still to come." Marvel Studios: Legends will initially debut as a precursor to WandaVision, a forthcoming miniseries described as being "half classic sitcom and half full MCU spectacular." It will tell the story of Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany's Vision who appear to be living as a married couple in the suburban town of Westview, where they attempt to hide their "ill-defined and unexplored" powers. We last saw Wanda nearly killing Thanos in battle in Avengers: Endgame as she sought revenge for the death of Vision, who was killed in Avengers: Infinity War, before the snap, making his death (more or less) permanent. In WandaVision, Wanda appears to be trapped in some sort of mental prison in which she imagines a domesticated life with Vision via various TV sitcom styles and eras. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/wandavision-official-trailer-2"] So reserve a spot on the sofa and get ready to tune in to watch the first episode of WandaVision when it lands on Disney+ on January 15, 2021, just one week after the first two episodes of Marvel Studios: Legends, which will be dropping on Disney+ on January 8, 2021, offering a showcase of the "individual characters viewers have come to know and love over the years." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Capcom has given IGN a small but nevertheless welcome update on the status of the next-gen Resident Evil Village, aka Resident Evil 8. The publisher has also provided three exclusive new screenshots, which you can see in the gallery below. Peter Fabiano, producer on Resident Evil Village, tells IGN: “We’re really excited for fans to experience Resident Evil Village when it comes out in 2021. We feel it’s an accumulation of all the best elements of Resident Evil games from the past 25 years, with everything fans love about action-infused survival horror plus new surprises. Of course, there are plenty of puzzles to solve and mysteries to unfold. "We hope fans will enjoy exploring the desolate, snowy village in which Resident Evil Village takes place, where enemies new to the franchise are waiting for them. Players will once again take control of Ethan Winters, experiencing more of the story set in motion in Resident Evil 7 biohazard. New technologies are allowing us to immerse players in the game in ways we couldn’t achieve before, in what we hope will be the most pulse-pounding Resident Evil game to date.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=resident-evil-village-3-exclusive-new-screenshots&captions=true"] We'll have much more on Resident Evil Village as 2021 rolls on. In the meantime, for more on the eighth mainline RE game, don't miss its initial announcement from this past summer, as well as the reveal trailer. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

Joker is widely regarded as Batman's greatest nemesis, but few have attempted to make the Clown Prince of Crime the main protagonist in a DC comic. That will change in March 2021 when DC launches a new ongoing series simply titled The Joker. The new series is an offshoot of the current Batman series from writer James Tynion IV, one that builds on Joker's uncertain status quo following the events of Joker War. Joker may have survived his latest run-in with Batman and gone into hiding overseas, but things aren't exactly looking up for him. He's missing an eye (courtesy of Harley Quinn) and dealing with the sting of being left to die by the Dark Knight. Making matters worse, Commissioner Gordon is about to retire, and he's made it his mission to bring Joker to justice before he does. Worse, it seems Bane also has a bone to pick with Mister J. In short, the deck is really stacked against Joker in 2021. Check out the slideshow gallery below to see all the covers revealed for Joker #1 so far: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=joker-breaks-free-from-batman-in-these-creepy-dc-covers&captions=true"] Tynion will  write this spinoff, with Batman artist Guillem March also making the jump. Each issue will also feature a backup story co-written by Tynion and Sam Johns and drawn by Mirka Andolfo. This same team previously collaborated on November's Punchline #1 special, and their new story will again focus on Joker's new sidekick. In this ongoing story, Alexis Kaye deals with her newfound celebrity and becoming an inmate at Blackgate Penitentiary. Meanwhile, Harper Row will take up the mantle of Bluebird once again after finding Punchline's influence is warping her brother's mind. “When I was approached by DC about the concept of an ongoing series spotlighting The Joker, I thought, ‘What would that book even look like?,’” said Tynion in DC's press release. “I’m excited to share this story in a way that honors everything that a series about The Joker can be, while coming at if from an exciting, unexpected angle. I’m also thrilled to continue working with Sam and Mirka to expand the Punchline story we began in November as a back-up feature in this new ongoing Joker series. The Joker War was only the beginning of the terror and mayhem we’re creating!” While DC has published a handful of stories with Joker as the main protagonist (most notably 1994's Joker: Going Sane and 2008's Joker graphic novel), this is actually only the second time the company has published an ongoing Joker comic. The Joker Vol. 1 ran for nine issues in 1975 before being abruptly canceled. DC belatedly reprinted the unpublished issue #10 in 2019 as part of the hardcover collection The Joker: The Bronze Age Omnibus. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/26/joker-war-why-batmans-worst-enemy-is-finally-ready-to-finish-their-game"] The Joker #1 is priced at $4.99 and is scheduled for release on March 9, 2021. A new Joker series is just one of many projects DC has planned for early 2021. January and February will see DC switch gears to Future State, a massive crossover that reveals the fate of the DCU ten years into the future. Following that, DC will launch a number of new ongoing series in March, all aimed at welcoming new readers in the aftermath of Dark Nights: Death Metal. But unlike DC's past Crisis events, Death Metal isn't intended to reboot DC's complex history. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Xbox is asking fans to come up with ideas for a Space Jam: A New Legacy video game tie-in which will come to Xbox Game Pass in June 2021, to complement the film's release in July. The "arcade-style" video game will be built from the ideas of two lucky winners, who will have their names featured in the game's credits and receive signed LeBron James memorabilia, as well as a private screening of the new movie and an Xbox Series S console. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/08/01/space-jam-2-justin-lin-offers-sequel-update-"] You can enter the contest on the game's website here, which is worth a look just for the awesome genre mock-ups half-way down the page. Entrants will have to pick one of the pixel-art concepts to inspire their entry, which should be around 500 words and detail "the story and vision" of your ideal Space Jam arcade game. Microsoft is also setting up virtual Space Jam-themed coding workshops to help get kids into computer science. For more on Space Jam: A New Legacy, check out a detailed look at the movie's star LeBron James in his Tune Squad jersey. Space Jam: A New Legacy could be one of the Warner Bros. movies coming to HBO Max as well as theatres upon release in 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.