Cyberpunk 2077 delayed yet again

Yesterday developer CD Projekt Red posted a statement online that announced that their latest upcoming game, Cyberpunk 2077, has been delayed yet again. Having seen several delays already, many didn’t believe that the game would be pushed back again, because it may affect sales.
 

An important development update pic.twitter.com/uFGrt9Tqpi

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) June 18, 2020

The last release date for Cyberpunk 2077 was September 17, 2020, but now the game will launch on November 19, 2020, a delay of just over two months. This puts the game’s launch extremely close to the release of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, meaning that some consumers might wait to get a next-generation copy of the game with their new console.

However, with Microsoft providing Smart Delivery with Cyberpunk 2077, there’s little point in consumers waiting to get a next-gen copy of the game, since they’ll get that for free if they buy the Xbox One version.

The statement explained that the game will be done when it’s done. This is a statement that CD Projekt Red takes very seriously, because they don’t ever put a game out the door unless they are completely satisfied with it. The statement also describes how the developer realizes that they’re sacrificing trust for yet another time, which is the hardest decision they’ve ever had to make.

The delay is required to allow the team more time to fix bugs and balance the game’s mechanics. With such a vast open world that can be played in hundreds of different ways, it’s hardly surprising that balancing is still an issue even at this late stage.

CD Projekt Red stated in January that developers had already begun crunching on the game. However, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has forced everyone to move to work from home, which has almost certainly slowed productivity, leading to this delay.

Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most highly-anticipated games of 2020. It will allow players to complete a story with almost complete freedom. The choices that players make, not only in conversations, but also in terms of the augments they make to their character, will drastically alter the way they experience the world of the game.

Any further delays may well render current-generation versions of the game pointless, at least to those investing in next-gen consoles.