Cyberpunk 2077 is 'ready for the PC,' but current-gen console versions still need work

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Cyberpunk 2077 was delayed into December yesterday, a postponement of just a few weeks that, sadly and predictably, nonetheless resulted in death threats against developer CD Projekt Red and the people who work there. The studio attributed the delay to the complexities of simultaneously developing and testing nine versions of the game—current and next-gen consoles, PC, and Stadia—while working from home, but in a call to investors following the announcement, CD Projekt co-CEO Adam Kiciński pointed more specifically at the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles as the source of the holdup.

"First and foremost, on behalf of the whole board, I would like to offer an apology for breaking our promise and failing your trust. We underestimated the time required for the very final processes," Kiciński said.

"The game is ready for the PC and runs great on the next-gen consoles, and could be shipped on the scheduled date on those platforms. However, even though the game has been certified on the current gens by both Sony and Microsoft, some very final optimization processes for such a massive and complex game require a bit of additional time."

During a Q&A session that followed his statement, Kiciński repeated that "we have the game ready on PC" and said that the studio probably could have made the November 19 release date as it stands, but "having these extra three weeks will enable us to get more things ready to our satisfaction." He also acknowledged that three weeks doesn't sound like it will make much of a difference for a game that's been in development since 2016, but added that "this can greatly help us with those technical matters regarding current-gen."

Vice president of business development Michal Nowakowski said later in the Q&A that there isn't a specific "problem" with current-gen consoles, just "optimization to be handled." In a response to a separate question, however, he suggested that Cyberpunk 2077's issues might actually run a little deeper than that, saying, "The polish is needed to fix all the bugs and quality issues that we're still facing."

As for the new release date of December 10, it's "firm," if not quite rock-hard: "We feel—maybe not comfortable, but confident" in the new release date, Kiciński said. Nowakowski seemed similarly not-quite-comfortable with fully committing to it. When asked if Cyberpunk 2077 would definitely be out on December 10, he replied, "That's more or less what I'm saying, I guess—yes."

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.