Rumors have abounded about CD Projekt Red's long-awaited sci-fi title Cyberpunk 2077 for months concerning when the game will have a release date announced. Now, some indication may finally have been given.

According to a new financial report given to CD Projekt Red's stakeholders by the studio's management board, those stakeholders will not be paid dividends for the current financial year. The company has stated that the reason for this is to use that money which would otherwise be paid out as dividends to fund the pre-release marketing for Cyberpunk 2077. It would make sense then to assume that the studio is preparing to announce the game's release date, and subsequently invest heavily in the pre-release marketing that will necessarily follow such an announcement.

Since the announcement of Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red has enjoyed steady yearly profits, around $200 million in 2017 alone, enabling them to become the only video game developer large enough to be listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Indeed, the company opened a new Wrocław studio earlier this year to bolster development for its upcoming projects. In 2017, the company paid its stakeholders a total of around $30 million in dividends, but those payments will now not be made in the 2018 financial year, allowing CD Projekt Red to invest that sizable amount into marketing for its upcoming sci-fi title.

When CD Projekt Red released The Witcher 3, the company adopted a different strategy; borrowing money from its distributors and later settling the debt with money made by the game's sales revenue. Choosing to spend their company's profits instead, rather than borrowing money from distributors, could be seen as a riskier decision, but it also suggests that the company is expecting strong sales margins for the game - enough to justify taking the risk itself. Adam Kacinski, CEO of CD Projekt Red, has already stated that the game is "more ambitious" than The Witcher 3.

Given the timing of this report, and that CD Projekt Red has  already confirmed that the company will be attending E3 later this year, it seems increasingly likely that company is preparing for Cyberpunk 2077 to feature heavily at the event. Were the company to announce a release date at that event, it would fit the timeframe of spending on pre-release marketing through the 2018 financial year. Although it is impossible to know for certain, fans of the Polish company's work may well wish to follow any appearances it makes at E3 with interest.

Cyberpunk 2077 is in development for PC.

Source: Strefainwestorow