CD Projekt Red announced today that it has delayed Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most anticipated and ambitious games of the year, by another 21 days until December 10. While it’s not a long time, it will give some important breathing room to other major releases coming in the same window.
The postponement is the latest in a series of delays for the game, which is like a science fiction version of Grand Theft Auto. CD Projekt Red said in a tweet that it offered its “humble apologies,” as the challenge is shipping the game on current-generation and next-generation consoles, as well as the PC. The company is preparing the game for nine platforms, including on Google Stadia, while working from home.
Cyberpunk 2077’s release date has bounced around a lot this year. It was originally set for release in April, but the pandemic messed up that plan. It was delayed until September 17, and then again until November 17, and now one more time.
We have important news to share with you pic.twitter.com/qZUaD6IwmM
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) October 27, 2020
Cyberpunk 2077 has evolved over time from a current-generation game to a next-generation release, the company said, and it wants everything to run smoothly on all versions.
“We’re aware it might seem unrealistic when someone says that 21 days can make any difference in such a massive and complex game, but they really do,” the company said.
The game did pass its “gold master” milestone some time ago, but the team has still been squashing bugs and readying a Day Zero patch.
“This is the time period we undercalculated,” Adam Badowski and Marcin Iwinski said in the tweet.
Among those breathing a sigh of relief now are the makers of titles such as Call of Duty: Black Ops — Cold War, The Pathless, Watch Dogs: Legion, Godfall, Dirt 5, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and dozens of other big games being released in November. While it is happening by accident, the effect could be a more sane release schedule and the prospect of a longer selling cycle for holiday games. It could also push video game sales higher in the all-important month of December.