Cyberpunk 2077 is currently at the center of hot debate among the gaming community following CD Projekt Red's announcement days ago that Cyberpunk is once again delayed. Although the delay is only for 21 days, it is worth remembering that this is the third time that CD Projekt Red had to postpone the game due to varying reasons.
Additionally, reports of crunch also began surfacing in the last few weeks, adding to the negative press that CD Projekt Red continues to receive. Now, it appears that the uncertainty surrounding the development of Cyberpunk 2077 has now taken its toll on the company, as reports reveal that CD Projekt Red's share price has decreased by 25% since its peak at the end of August.
As per reports, it has been revealed that CD Projekt Red's share price peaked during the announcement of a new Witcher mobile game that has a similar format to Niantic's Pokemon GO. On August 27, CD Projekt Red's market cap was around PLN 42.4 billion, which equates to €9.6 billion based on a price of PLN 461 per share. Since then, the company's market cap declined by 25% or equivalent to €2.5 billion, putting it at its current value of €7.2 billion. Analysts believe that between the two-month period, the decline is mostly defined by the reports of crunch and succeeding delays to the release of Cyberpunk 2077.
However, it is worth noting that analysts also predict that stock will rise as soon as Cyberpunk 2077 is released. Given the massive hype for the game, it is almost a guarantee that the upcoming sci-fi RPG will be a roaring hit, which could erase any negative feedback surrounding the game's multiple delays. Interestingly enough, it appears that CD Projekt Red is also confident of the game's impending success. In a conference call held at the studio, CD Projekt Red revealed that it expects Cyberpunk 2077 to reach 90 or above on Metacritic, saying that the main purpose of postponing the game is to ensure that it is polished to a level of quality that the studio is known for.
Meanwhile, CD Projekt Red is still facing some backlash regarding its recent decision to delay Cyberpunk 2077. Apparently, disgruntled fans started sending threatening messages to CD Projekt Red developers, prompting a response from lead game designer Andrzej Zawadzki. In a tweet, Zawadzki addressed the issue by saying that he sympathizes with some fans' disappointment but condemned those who sent death threats to developers.
Cyberpunk 2077 releases December 10th for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development.
Source: Gamesindustry.biz