Why the delay of cyberpunk 2077 is not surprising

Being in the Cyberpunk community, it was a big deal when I found out three days ago that Cyberpunk 2077 was being delayed yet again to November 19th.

I think my initial reaction was something like this:

For more on my reaction to the news, you can check out my YouTube video here.

Remember Keanu announcing the release date?

I remember the excitement I felt after seeing the new Cyberpunk 2077 video game trailer and then watch Keanu Reeves step on that stage on June 9th last year and announce the release date at Microsoft’s E3 Video game conference event for April 16th, 2020.

It was on that stage that a fan said what everyone was thinking, “you’re breathtaking”, and his instantly famous reply “no, you’re breathtaking! You’re all breathtaking!” Needless to say, it was a breathtaking moment.

Remember when they announced on Jan 16th that it was delayed the first time?

I also remember the disappointment I felt when it was delayed the first time to September 17th. During the pandemic it would have been nice to have a game like Cyberpunk 2077 to play during the long hours of confinement, but it wasn’t meant to be. I reasoned, along with many others in the community, that the extra wait time was worth it if it meant a better game as the final product.

Bottom line: make a good game

The most important thing is that the game is good. Think about all the bugs that can detract from a massive immersive video game, like Skyrim where you get stuck everywhere or quests don’t spawn the way they are supposed to, or The Witcher where things appear where they’re not supposed to (like your horse roach).

It’s inevitable that bugs will happen in a game this big, but I think it’s important that if they’re finding those kinds of bugs already, that they’re dealt with as much as possible before the game is released. And this actually isn’t that uncommon. Turns out games get delayed all the time.

This happened with the Witcher 3 as well, actually

The Witcher 3 was supposed to come out fall 2014, but in March 2014 (6-7 months before anticipated release) they pushed it back 4-5 months to February 2015. Then, in December 2014 (2 months before), they pushed it back yet again to May  2015 (3 months back). In comparison, CDPR announced in June 2019 that the release date would be april 2020. Then in January 2020 (4 months before anticipated release) they pushed it back 5 months to september. Then, in June (3 months before anticipated release) they pushed it back 2 more months to November. The result? The Witcher 3 was a smash hit, won a bunch of awards, got countless accolades and a huge fan base, and then on top of all that they adapted it into an amazing Netflix live action series.

“Hmm.”–Geralt

A blessing in disguise?

And in the meanwhile, perhaps in a weird sense this is a gift to keep the hype going, the wonder, the curiosity. Imagine 3 months after the game is released, when all that mystery and wonder will be gone. There are communities of fans speculating every day, dissecting every new news piece, waiting eagerly for the day they’ll be able to get their hands on the video game.

We’re going to have new information in 4 days time on Thursday during the Night City Wire event. So let’s treasure and get excited about not knowing, about wondering about it. And let’s see what new exciting information we can learn on Thursday, because it will have to tide us over for the next 5 months. At least.

Your Thoughts

So what do you think? Are you disappointed as well about the game being delayed? Do you think it’s justified? And are you excited about Night City Wire? let me know in the comments below.