Since E3 2018, when developer CD Projekt RED wowed fans by revealing the very first Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay footage, one question has been on everyone's lips: when will the game be released? So far, the studio has kept quiet about an exact release window, but a newly announced partnership has gotten people talking.

Today, CD Projekt RED announced that it has signed a deal for Warner Bros. Interactive to publish Cyberpunk 2077 in North America. In a press release, the developer highlighted its previous partnerships with Warner Bros. explaining that it found a lot of success when the publisher handled the North American release of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The partnership is a major step forward in the release of the game and it has got some fans wondering if a 2019 release date for Cyberpunk 2077 is on the cards.

Warner Bros. was confirmed as the North American publisher of The Witcher 3 in July 2013, which was a year (and a few months) before the game's initial release date of Q3 2014 (it was later delayed to May 2015). Meanwhile, The Witcher 2's Warner Bros. publishing deal was announced six months ahead of its April 2012 (Xbox 360) launch. So, if publishing deals are typically announced nearer to release, that could suggest that Cyberpunk 2077 will be out in 2019.

The speculation from fans is a bit of a stretch, but it isn't the only bit of evidence lately that suggests the game may be out next year. Last week, a tweet from a Turkish games publisher which has previously worked with Warner Bros. stated that Cyberpunk 2077 has a 2019 release date. That tweet has since been deleted but even that has been taken as an admission of guilt by fans, only throwing fuel onto the flames.

Unfortunately for fans who hope they'll be playing the game by next Christmas, Mike Pondsmith, the creator of the Cyberpunk 2020 board game has said that Cyberpunk 2077 is still a few years away. CD Projekt RED meanwhile, has confirmed that the game is now playable all the way through but not only does the game lack all of its final assets, but it also needs to be playtested too. Given that the game is also substantially larger than The Witcher 3, it could be the size and scope of the game that makes that 2019 release date highly unlikely.

Cyberpunk 2077 is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, but lacks an official launch date.