Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed until September

The Witcher developer, CD Projekt Red has announced that Cyberpunk 2077 has been pushed back to September.

Originally intended for release in April, the game has now been pushed back by 5 months with CD Projekt Red seemingly adamant to get things right. 

In a statement, the Polish developer explained that "we are currently at a stage where the game is complete and playable, but there's still work to be done." Continuing, it was explained that the firm needs "more time to finish play testing, finishing and polishing" the game. So, essentially, the game is finished but needs some refinement to get things just right. 

Shortly after the announcement, CD Projekt Red held a conference call in which one of the questions asked was regarding whether the development team will be required to put in extra 'crunch' hours. Joint CEO, Adam Kicinski, explained "to some degree, yes...We try to limit crunch as much as possible, but it is the final stage."

Crunch has been a controversial part of game development in recent times with games such as Red Dead Redemption 2 reputedly involving crunch of 100 hour weeks in the run up to its release. In the past, CD Projekt Red has gone on record saying it has a 'non-obligatory crunch policy' so, presumably, this has changed for the time being. 

While delays are rarely welcomed, Cyberpunk 2077 looks set to be a massively ambitious title so it makes sense that it would take longer to release. It's been 7 years in the making after all. Its delay means it launches very close to the release of the next-gen series of consoles, but CD Projekt Red has already announced that the game won't be available for those platforms on launch day. 

In the past, the developer has taken its time a bit with the likes of The Witcher 3 and we all know how well that turned out. 

With Cyberpunk 2077 being pushed back, it places it right amongst a busy time of year for game releases. It also makes April a little quieter than before. Still, there's always Resident Evil 3 on the horizon, along with Doom Eternal March 20th. It's also possibly worthwhile delaying any new graphics card purchases if this was a key reason behind your upgrade. After all, the industry is fast moving enough that it'd make sense to wait till nearer release to make that pivotal upgrade.