UPDATE: CD Projekt Red has confirmed to IGN that the Cyberpunk 2077 release date remains December 10, 2020. The original story follows.
An industry insider Twitter account with a divisive reputation has suggested that another Cyberpunk 2077 delay is likely, following an exchange that saw the account break the rumor and CD Projekt Red double down on its commitment to a December 10 release date with a Twitter header change. Cyberpunk 2077 was originally scheduled to release in April of this year, before delays that saw it shift its launch date to September 17, November 19, and now December 10, 2020.
Fans feel strongly about the Cyberpunk 2077 release date because CD Projekt Red promised that November 19 would definitely be the date the game was released, only for that to change later. That, compounded by rumors that the studio has been making the game with extensive crunch hours, a practice that has been justifiably vilified over recent years, has negatively affected the discussion surrounding the upcoming sci-fi open-world title. CD Projekt Red has a lot of good will from fans thanks to its work on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Cyberpunk 2077 as a game is definitely alluring based on its blend of story-telling and dynamic gameplay, but the conversation around how it's being made and why it's been continuously delayed has become an image problem for a game that has already flirted with controversy several times before.
Now, an industry insider account with a divisive reputation among fans has stated that another Cyberpunk 2077 delay is likely, and will see the game release in 2021 instead of this year. The account, which currently goes by Tiffany Treadmore Inc., is most famous for its prediction of an E3 cancellation before it happened and the confirmation of Half-Life Alyx before it was announced. Earlier this week, the account predicted another Cyberpunk 2077 delay, and CD Projekt Red seemingly responded to this rumor by updating its Twitter header for the Cyberpunk 2077 account to plainly state "December 10" as a release date. Following that, the Twitter insider shared another tweet that doubled down on the prediction that a Cyberpunk 2077 delay is likely:
The replies seem to want evidence or specificity when it comes to what "bad stuff internally" may be going on at CD Projekt Red, and that's a fair ask - these claims are easy to make vaguely but difficult to support without providing more evidence. That being said, another Cyberpunk 2077 delay would be devastating for the game but perhaps good for the staff working on it. There are plenty of people who would support a longer period of development if it meant reasonable hours for the developers working on it and better mental health for all involved.
It's also important to take this rumor with a grain of salt. While the account has been right on big things before, that doesn't mean this time will be the same, and it would be odd for a Cyberpunk 2077 delay to come after CD Projekt Red doubled down on the release date in its Twitter profile header. For now, though, anything that suggests CD Projekt Red staff are unhappy should be taken seriously - delay or no, the focus should be on the health of those involved, especially after they've been forced to weather death threats from internet trolls following the most recent delay.
Cyberpunk 2077 is set to release on December 10, 2020.
Source: Tiffany Treadmore Inc./Twitter