Cyberpunk 2077 will not be delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, says developer CD Projekt Red. Cyberpunk is the highly anticipated open world RPG based on the long-running tabletop series. Announced way back in 2012, gameplay wasn't shown until the 2018 E3 conference as the Polish studio was busy working on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The game, which has players exploring a giant cyberpunk city, has already been delayed, most recently from this April to September. With another major release, The Last of Us 2, delayed indefinitely because of coronavirus, concerns were raised that the long-awaited release would be put off even further.
Via GamesRadar, however, CD Projekt Red is confident that the pandemic won't affect their September release. The studio has been working remotely for weeks now, and president Adam Kiciński assured fans that the shift to working from home wouldn't make fans wait any longer. "Our goals haven't changed; first and foremost, we intend to release Cyberpunk 2077 in September." said Kiciński, adding that they "believe that our longstanding strategy of avoiding debt and accumulating cash reserves makes us well prepared to meet any hardships which may be in store during these troubled times.
In a year already filled with video game delays, with more sure to come in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that has brought much of society to a halt, it's interesting to see how game studios react and persevere through the crisis while still protecting employee health. CD Projekt Red announced on March 16th that they had upgraded equipment and infrastructure to allow their employees to work remotely, and their confidence shows that the new system is working. If needed, remote work could be implemented on the next Witcher game, which is a great backup plan to have. For now, it's good news to hear that CD Projekt Red is keeping its employees safe while still making Cyberpunk 2077 ready for shelves this September.
Source: GamesRadar