CD Projekt Red is reportedly targeting to release the long-awaited Cyberpunk 2077 this year, but the game will likely be delayed to 2020.
In the developer’s latest quarterly report, CD Projekt Red’s CFO Piotr Nielubowicz said that the development of Cyberpunk 2077 is “proceeding at full speed,” with E3 2019 set to be the “most important” one in the company’s history.
The game will not yet be playable at the annual video game event though, with CD Projekt Red global community lead Marcin Momot confirming that for the gameplay presentations, it will be the developers themselves who will be on the controllers.
It is widely expected that the release date of Cyberpunk 2077 will be revealed at E3 2019. Kotaku’s Jason Schreier was quick to shoot down rumors that the game will also be released this year, though his sources said that CD Projekt Red was initially aiming for a 2019 launch.
This has gotten a lot of Reddit attention so some clarity: I've heard from three sources that Cyberpunk was aiming for 2019, but belief around the studio was that it was an unrealistic target. I expect first half 2020 or maybe even an E3 announcement of 2019, then a delay to 2020 https://t.co/8QsOatEFfJ
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) May 31, 2019
It appears that CD Projekt Red has a “planned delay” for Cyberpunk 2077, which may be understandable given the studio’s goal of releasing the game with the same quality as Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2. The company’s The Witcher 3 was launched with a multitude of bugs, and it took three months of patches to address all the issues.
Apparently, such “planned delays” is common among video game development companies, according to Schreier.
I think companies making announcements like "fall 2017" knowing they're not shipping until 2018 is surprisingly common yeah
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) May 31, 2019
I think there could be a lot of reasons. Could be something as simple as "Well we think we have a chance at hitting this, and maybe it'll motivate the team, even if we know it's unlikely"
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) May 31, 2019
Schreier is widely regarded as a reliable source for video game information, but as with any rumor, it should not be considered as valid until the the studio itself makes the confirmation. Fortunately for players who have been looking forward to Cyberpunk 2077, E3 2019 is just around the corner. The game’s release date may finally be revealed, though with the possibility of a delay in the horizon.
If the release of Cyberpunk 2077 will be pushed back to the first half of next year, “2020 gonna be wild” according to Schreier.
Based on what I've heard, yes to all of those. 2020 gonna be wild
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) May 31, 2019
Cyberpunk 2077 may be joining The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, and the Final Fantasy VII Remake, among other high-profile projects that are rumored to be releasing early next year. Gamers should look forward to E3 2019 to see what is in store for them in the near future.
