Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed yet again. CD Projekt Red announced the delay on Thursday, confirming that Cyberpunk 2077 is no longer being planned for release on September 17. Instead, Cyberpunk 2077 will now launch on November 19, a delay of two additional months.
CD Projekt Red provided a lengthy letter to fans explaining the situation as part of the delay announcement. In its letter, CD Projekt Red apologizes to fans for making them wait longer, but asks them to be understanding, too. Cyberpunk 2077 is apparently finished "both content and gameplay-wise," but requires additional time for balancing game mechanics and fixing bugs.
This necessary extra work is attributed to just how big Night City and the adventures within it are. "A huge world means a huge number of things to iron out and we will spend the additional time doing exactly that," is how CD Projekt Red characterizes what work is remaining. The letter goes on to ask fans to be patient as CD Projekt Red continues to polish the game for a November launch.
As a way to help the wait be less tedious, CD Projekt Red says that, starting this week, it's providing Cyberpunk 2077 access to gaming journalists. Following the Night City Wire event scheduled for June 25, these journalists will be able to publish preview coverage of the game. The scope of these previews isn't confirmed, but hopefully they'll be expansive enough to tide over fans for a while yet.
While most CD Projekt Red fans are certain to be understanding and empathetic with the need to delay games for polish, there is some worry, too. Earlier this year CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Kicinski said that Cyberpunk 2077's development team is required to put in crunch hours "to some degree." That was in January, as Cyberpunk 2077 was delayed five months into September. Now the game is being delayed two more months, adding to this "final stage" with required crunch. That's potentially a full year of required crunch.
One big lingering question is now what CD Projekt Red's plans for next-generation consoles will be. A November 17 launch puts Cyberpunk 2077 in direct competition with next-gen consoles and their launch line-ups. Previously, CD Projekt Red said next-gen versions of Cyberpunk 2077 will come later, but now the team could be rethinking that. Perhaps PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of Cyberpunk 2077 will be available on November 19, too.
Cyberpunk 2077 releases November 19 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with Stadia and Xbox Series X versions also in development.