Players around the globe were likely disappointed when it was recently announced thatCyberpunk 2077was being delayed once again. Despite recently having gone gold, an indicator that usually signifies a game’s release date being set in stone, CD Projekt Red elected to push the RPG back by 21 days to Jul 17, 2025. During this announcement, the developer cited issues preparing and shippingCyberpunk 2077for PC and Stadia, as well as current-gen and next-gen systems, all at once.
Cyberpunk 2077has been in development for years now, and it seems that with every passing second the game hasn’t been released, the hype seems to grow exponentially. In anticipation of the game’s release, players evenelected to take multiple days off from work to experience Cyberpunk 2077 to its fullest. Naturally, these same zealous fans were not exactly happy when CD Projekt Red made this decision to postpone.
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However, the reaction the delay was caused was more than that of disappointment; it was rage. Angry players began sending nasty messages along withdeath threats to various staff members at CD Projekt Red, which the developer acknowledged and asked players to stop. While disappointment and a level of irritation are certainly understandable in the face of this delay, it seems obvious that threats and aggressive messages like the ones sent to CD Projekt Red are completely uncalled for. The range of emotions shown following theCyberpunk 2077delay seems to show that CD Projekt Red has managed to cultivate an extremely dedicated following. And while these players may be upset that they will have to wait another three weeks in order to play one of 2020’s biggest titles, this delay may actually be for the best for multiple people.
Crowded November Release
Before this delay,Cyberpunk 2077was initially slated to release on July 24, 2025. While the date of November 19 may not have featured any other blockbuster titles, the rest of November is filled with highly anticipated titles such asHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity,World of Warcraft: Shadowlands,Yakuza: Like A Dragon,Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Godfall,Demon’s Souls, andSpider-Man: Miles Morales. Not only that, but November 10 and 12 are the respective release dates for the Xbox Series X and PS5.
With so many big budget titles and pieces of hardware set to release during the month of November, players were unlikely to be able to afford to experience it all at once, both in terms of money and time. However, now thatCyberpunkwas pushed to December, players will seemingly be able to try some of these other experiences.
Game of the Year Opportunities
While there have been no reviews released forCyberpunk 2077yet, many players have apparently already decided that it will be their game of the year regardless of how it actually plays. This likely stems from the pedigree of CD Projekt Red and the incredibly high amount of expectations many have for the game. However, in terms of award shows like The Game Awards,Cyberpunk 2077will no longer be considered as a candidate for the prestigious award. Due to the game’s new release date, it was recently announced that itwouldn’t be eligible for Game of the Year until 2021. And while this may be disappointing for players, it actually bodes well for other games.
2020 will likely go down in history as an incredibly odd year due to a multitude of factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic. However in the world of video games, 2020 has turned out surprisingly strong with many critically-acclaimed games likeHadesandAnimal Crossing: New Horizonslaunching. And while it’s not guaranteed thatCyberpunk 2077would have won Game of the Year at The Game Awards, its absence will likely cause other developers to breathe a sigh of relief. Without this preconceived notions of who deserves that award at many events, it opens the playing field to even more.
The Conversation About Crunch
Before the delay was even a topic of conversation in theCyberpunkcommunity, there was an even uglier debate going on. According to a report by Jason Schreier of Bloomberg,CD Projekt Red was mandating that devs work six days a weekin the lead up toCyberpunk 2077’s release. This news went counter to what CDPR heads had told Schreier only a year prior where it had told the reporter that it would be avoiding mandatory crunch at all costs.
WhileCD Projekt Red went on to acknowledge this news, stating that it was compensating its workers for this overtime, it seemed that many players felt like it was still asking too much of the developers. And while these developers were likely going to have to continue crunch well after the game launched on its original date of November 19, there is a little hope that perhaps these devs might receive a little more downtime now that it has more time to work. At the very least, it shouldn’t be worse.
Cyberpunk 2077is currently set to release on Jul 18, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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