Cyberpunk 2077 is delayed again. Oddly, that’s not the biggest news of the day.
If a report from Game Informer writer Liana Ruppert is accurate, the bigger story is that most of the people working on the game weren’t told ahead of the official announcement. Instead, “the team at large” found out the same time we all did.
Three weeks to the day after CD Projekt RED higher ups promised Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t being delayed again, the same higher ups announced it’s getting pushed back to December.
No more delays are happening.
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) October 6, 2020
The delay is also almost three weeks to the day that the game went “gold.” There’s plenty of discussion about what “going gold” means in this day and age. However, the larger discussion apparently needs to continue to be how CDPR execs treat the “grunts” working on their titles.
We have important news to share with you pic.twitter.com/qZUaD6IwmM
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) October 27, 2020
Ruppert pointed out there are conflicting reports about crunch culture as it exists in the company. Some former employees claim it’s very real. Others say the work environment is quite pleasant.
Of course, the issue here isn’t even about crunch. It’s about the company reportedly blindsiding a majority of the Cyberpunk 2077 devs.
No, no one on that staff thought their work was “done” on November 19. However, it seems probable there was still a tangible sense of excitement as the calendar moved closer to “launch day.”
Cyberpunk 2077 To Arrive In December
The rationale for the delay makes sense. CDPR wants to make sure the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions are top notch. However, the question why employees didn’t know before the company tweeted the news, needs an answer.
We still don’t know the ratios. Perhaps the people not told until Tuesday afternoon is a smaller population than first reported. It’s hard to fathom the higher ups making this decision and keeping it secret from … everyone.
Whatever is going on behind the scenes at CD Projekt RED is leaving an unpleasant taste in the mouths of many in the gaming community. Here’s hoping December 10th arrives with a successful launch for the sake of everyone who has worked on the oft-delayed title.