What was promised where? Because yeah, get capable technical team together who are excited to share a project they’re working on, and they are bound to be optimistic about what could be realistically implemented over a long timeframe. Nothing but the official release product information should be considered a promise, and nothing but unsponsored, unaffiliated reviews should be taken as proof.
I highly doubt that any pre-launch ‘promises’ were made with an intention to decieve.
But it’s pretty realistic and happens all the time. I don’t see what’s ‘bootlicky’ about not trusting ‘promises’ by corporations years before release that are not protected under laws like the Trades Description Act.
I don’t know what was supposedly promised, because I didn’t follow interviews and stuff leading up to it, I just bought the game based on what was actually delivered in the end, which is how all purchases should really be made.
Stuff mentioned during development should never be taken as a promise, no matter how trustworthy or honest the developer is. This is just the simple reality of long projects.
It’s also why we don’t hear from devs as much these days, instead it’s mostly PR people, as too much weight is put on off-hand quotes.
Studios like CDPR have nothing to gain, and lots to lose, by deliberately over-promising.