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Cyberpunk 2077 release date delayed again, now coming in December

CD Projekt RED is pushing back the release of Cyberpunk 2077 a few more weeks to December 10, 2020.

Donovan Erskine

October 27, 2020 9:40 AM

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With just weeks left until the highly-anticipated release of Cyberpunk 2077, developer CD Projekt RED is delaying the game once again. The futuristic RPG will now release on December 10, 2020.

CD PRojekt RED made the announcement via a post to their Twitter account. Many may be (rightfully so) confused by the delay, as CDPR recently announced that Cyberpunk 2077 had gone gold, meaning that the game was all but ready to hit its November 19 release date. The company addresses this point in its announcement post. 

“The biggest challenge for us right now is shipping the game on current-gen, next-gen, and PC at the same time, which requires us to test 9 versions of it,” the developer shared. CDPR goes on to admit that the team underestimated how long it would take to develop the inevitable day 0 patch to address any necessary improvements for launch day. The statement finishes with the developer stating that they’re willing to make the tough decisions in order to deliver the best game possible, the same sentiment shared when Cyberpunk 2077 was delayed from its September 2020 release date.

We have important news to share with you pic.twitter.com/qZUaD6IwmM

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) October 27, 2020

In total, this comes out to a 21 day delay. While that isn’t a long time, it nearly doubles the days left. Though it’s just a few weeks, there are a lot of ramifications of the latest Cyberpunk delay. First, it clears up the next-gen release window, as the November 19 launch date would have put the game just days after the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 hit shelves. It also means that Cyberpunk 2077 will no longer be eligible for Game of the Year, or any other yearly awards, at Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards ceremony on December 10. Like we saw with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the game will be up for consideration the following year. 

Likely the biggest implication of them all, is that nothing is off the table anymore in regards to possible additional delays. After Cyberpunk was moved from September to November, there were concerns that the game wouldn’t arrive on the 19th. These speculations ramped up following news of mandatory crunch in order for the developer to meet its release date. However, CD Projekt RED remained adamant that Cyberpunk 2077 would launch on November 19, further emphasizing the point in the latest episode of Night City Wire, less than two weeks ago.

CD Projekt RED seemed married to the November 19 release date. Its decision to push the game back could potentially open the door to another delay into 2021, if the same issues persist. In its statement, CDPR says “it may seem unrealistic when someone says that 21 days can make any difference in such a massive and complex game, but they really do.” This marks the fourth major delay for Cyberpunk 2077, as the game was originally scheduled to launch in late 2019, but was then pushed to April of 2020. It was then delayed to September 2020. We first heard that the game was playable from start to finish back in August of 2018.

Cyberpunk 2077 will be released for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Google Stadia, and PC on December 10, 2020.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_