CD Projekt Red’s long-awaited open-world role-playing game Cyberpunk 2077, set in the near-future dystopian Night City and featuring Keanu Reeves, was first announced to be in development in 2012. Eight years later, the game will finally be released.
The game is based on the Cyberpunk tabletop role-playing series authored by Mike Pondsmith, who also served as a consultant on Cyberpunk 2077. It’s been the object of great anticipation from fans, particularly those who loved CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a 2015 fantasy role-playing game that received widespread critical acclaim. But as the hype has mounted for Cyberpunk 2077, so too has skepticism and concern about the game and its development.
CD Projekt Red has faced criticism for some of the marketing decisions surrounding Cyberpunk 2077, such as the usage of a hyper-sexualized trans model in a promotional poster. The company has also faced serious scrutiny of its work practices, particularly with regard to “crunch,” a common games industry practice that refers to long hours of overtime lasting weeks or months.
In May 2019, CD Projekt co-founder Marcin Iwiński told Kotaku that he wanted the company to be “more humane,” and that this involved the use of a “non-obligatory crunch policy”. In January 2020, however, CD Project Red imposed obligatory crunch on some employees, and at that time, Cyberpunk 2077 was delayed from April to September. The game would later be delayed to November, and finally, to December — with its developers crunching all the while.
Cyberpunk 2077 promises to be a huge game. But it’s already huge in the minds of so many gamers, critics, and journalists, as it has dominated conversations and sparked debates about salient games industry issues long before its release. It’s a lot to keep tabs on. Here’s everything we know so far about CD Projekt Red’s upcoming title.