It is no secret that CD Projekt Red fans have been waiting for the release of Cyberpunk 2077 for several years now. Unfortunately, in a shocking announcement yesterday, CD Projekt Red revealed that Cyberpunk 2077 would be delayed once again due to unforeseen challenges in shipping the game. Luckily for fans, the delay is only for 21 days, putting the game's launch on December 10th.
Despite numerous delays, most fans understand CD Projekt Red's decision to postpone Cyberpunk 2077 once again. However, some were not happy with the latest development, so much so that they even sent death threats to the game's developers, prompting a response from CD Projekt Red. Now, for those wondering why Cyberpunk 2077 keeps getting delayed, here are all the instances that Cyberpunk 2077 got postponed and the reasons that led to CD Projekt Red its never-ending delay.
Cyberpunk 2077: From April to September 17, 2020
Originally, Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to release during the busy month of April, shortly after the launch of other triple-A games such as Capcom's remake of Resident Evil 3. However, in January 2020, CD Projekt Red decided to delay the release of Cyberpunk 2077 to September 17th, bumping off the game five months from the original plan. Luckily for CD Projekt Red, fans were understanding of the delay, with some citing that the studio's decision is the right course of action given that it's better to postpone the game and release it when it's truly ready.
In a statement, CD Projekt Red explained its decision saying that the developer needed more time to put Cyberpunk 2077 into a level that is "complete and playable." Of course, given the massive scale of Cyberpunk 2077, the game requires extensive playtesting to ensure that it will release with little to no bugs and glitches.
Shortly after CD Projekt Red's announcement, a rumor began swirling online that the true reason for Cyberpunk 2077's delay is because of its poor performance on the PS4 and Xbox One. In response, Benzenzimmern of CD Projekt Red reiterated the company's earlier explanation saying that the postponement is due to optimization that is a normal process for almost all games. During the height of the rumor, Santa Monica Studio's Cory Barlog chimed in on the issue, supporting CD Projekt Red's stance on the need to optimize the game on consoles. According to Barlog, every game "runs badly before it is optimized for the hardware."
Cyberpunk 2077: From September to November 19, 2020
About six months after the first delay of CD Projekt Red, the company again revealed that Cyberpunk 2077 is getting delayed once more from September 17 to November 19, 2020. Given that this is the second time the studio had to postpone Cyberpunk 2077 this year, CD Projekt Red apologized to fans explaining that developer needed more time to once again polish the game to a level that fans deserve. Additionally, the company explained that the game is already finished "both content and gameplay-wise." However, the need for additional time will be spent on fixing bugs and balancing game mechanics.
CD Projekt Red also highlighted the massive size of Night City, which is the game's primary setting is another reason why the company decided to delay the game a second time. "A huge world means a number of things to iron out, and we will spend the additional time doing exactly that," CD Projekt Red said in a letter released on social media. Several months later, CD Projekt Red reassured fans who were worried about the game's status by promising that Cyberpunk 2077 won't get delayed again. Unfortunately, it is no secret now that the studio was not able to keep its promise...
Cyberpunk 2077's New Release Date: December 10, 2020
...which leads us to the most recent delay of Cyberpunk 2077, yet again. As previously mentioned, CD Projekt Red announced yesterday that due to unforeseen problems in shipping the game, Cyberpunk 2077 would be pushed back from its release date of November 19 to December 10, 2020. Of course, this latest development may be disappointing, especially since CD Projekt Red went on record to say that a delay won't happen again. However, it is worth pointing out that the delay is only for 21 days, which supports the studio's explanation that the cause for the set back is shipping and not something related to the game's development.
At this point, it is difficult to say for sure whether the December 10 release date will actually be the day that Cyberpunk 2077 will see the light of day. Hopefully, CD Projekt Red is able to get the final logistics squared away, especially since news broke out several weeks ago that the studio has implemented a mandatory crunch order to release the game on time.
Cyberpunk 2077 launches December 10 for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development.