And it appears that CDPR did not want to invest time or money
Some PlayStation fans were disappointed when Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition was announced earlier today. Why? On PS5, the expansion for Cyberpunk 2077, Phantom Liberty, isn’t included on the physical version’s disc. Instead, you’ll receive a PSN voucher that must be redeemed to gain access to the DLC.
It’s a bummer for physical media fans, but it appears that this is due to how Sony operates. PlayStation policy, according to Digital Foundry’s John Linneman, requires a re-release with on-disc DLC to be registered as a new product. This makes perfect sense because when The Witcher 3 was re-released as a Game of the Year Edition, all of its DLC was included on-disc and treated as a separate product on PS4. As a result, the GOTY Edition came with its own Trophy list, game icon, and PlayStation Store profile.
So, why hasn’t CD Projekt Red done the same for Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition? The simple answer is that this process is time and money-consuming. “I think [CDPR] have to recompile a version of the game with the DLC plugged in which means resubmission to Sony. Probably time and money involved they didn’t end up spending,” Linneman wrote.
It’s a bad situation all around, and PlayStation fans are basically stuck with an inferior Ultimate Edition, as ridiculous as that sounds. What are your thoughts on this? Pour one out in the comments section below for missed opportunities.