The developers of Cyberpunk 2077 have now explained the exact reason for the third delay in a statement to investors: The versions for PS4 and Xbox One are primarily to blame. They also address the allegations regarding crunch.
Where do the new information come from? There was an investor call. There, the CEO of CD Projekt Red, Adam Kiciński, took a closer look at the new developments. You can find a transcript of the call here (via cdprojekt).
The latest developments were:
- Cyberpunk has been delayed for the third time – New release date is December 10
- Additionally, allegations have surfaced online that the team is working merciless overtime. Journalist Jason Schreier reports that sources have told him that they are working 100-hour shifts on Cyberpunk 2077 and employees appear to be physically unwell.
9 versions are being developed – PS4 and Xbox One are causing problems
Therefore, the third delay came: CEO Adam Kiciński apologizes for the delay, stating that they underestimated the time needed for the final steps.
He says: Cyberpunk 2077 is “ready for PC” and runs well on the next-gen consoles PS5 and Xbox Series X.
The primary responsibility for the delay of the release date to December 10 falls on the versions for PS4 and Xbox One. There is no “problem” with the versions per se, they wouldn’t say that, but optimization needs to be addressed.
Normal work needs to be done on both versions.
They are developing 9 versions of Cyberpunk 2077: 3 for PlayStation, 4 for Xbox, plus PC and Stadia. The Covid-19 pandemic is not making things any easier.
CD Projekt Red has struggled with the delay, but ultimately the first impression of the players is essential. They believe that the decision to delay Cyberpunk 2077 by 3 weeks will pay off in the long run.
Is Cyberpunk definitely coming on the release date of December 10?
This is what he says about the new release date:
The new date, December 10, is now “firm”: They may not feel comfortable with it, the CEO said with a smile, but are optimistic nonetheless.
To the direct question of whether Cyberpunk 2077 is definitely coming on December 10 and whether they can say that and feel comfortable doing so, the CEO replied:
“That’s more or less what I’m saying, I guess – Yes.”
Adam Kiciński
Crunch is not that bad, it never was vs. Some have “crunched hard”
What about crunch? In recent weeks, stories have surfaced that some employees on Cyberpunk 2077 are pulling a 100-hour week and some have been consistently working overtime since June 2019.
CD Projekt Red had ruled out crunch culture in 2019 and promised to be kinder to the employees. This promise was, however, retracted by the bosses in 2020: They saw no other option left.
Kiciński says this is a story that was “naturally” picked up by the media. In fact, some people have crunched hard, but a significant portion of the team is not working any overtime because they are finished with their work.
It’s mainly quality testers, technicians, and programmers who are working overtime, but it’s “not that hard.” They have now received feedback that people are happy about the three extra weeks.
This is what’s behind it: The statements on the subject of “crunch” are short and contradictory:
- some have crunched hard
- others have not
Apparently, the answer only pertains to the current time period of the next 3 weeks and not about how the development has gone since mid-2019.
Investor questions mainly revolved around money and whether the game is truly finished now. No one drilled down specifically regarding the overtime situation.
The topic of “crunch” in Cyberpunk 2077 is a sensitive issue. Some want to discuss, illuminate and highlight this topic. They criticize the gaming press and gamers for ignoring the developers’ concerns and only focusing on the hype.
But others say: Overtime is totally normal, everyone does that in their job. Only some are fabricating a scandal that isn’t there:
Cyberpunk 2077 is doing overtime – And many gamers really don’t care
