Good news: We may learn more about Cyberpunk 2077 soon. Bad news: The info was stolen

The interminable silence on Cyberpunk 2077, the next project from The Witcher 3 developer CD Projekt Red, may be broken soon. Too bad that's actually bad news. The Polish studio says some of its development materials have been stolen and that an unidentified party is trying to use them to extort money.

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Dear gamers,

An unidentified individual or individuals have just informed us they are in possession of a few internal files belonging to CD PROJEKT RED. Among them are documents connected to early designs for the upcoming game, Cyberpunk 2077.

A demand for ransom has been made, saying that should we not comply, the files will be released to the general public. We will not be giving in to the demands of the individual or individuals that have contacted us, which might eventually lead to the files being published online. The appropriate legal authorities will be informed about the situation.

The documents are old and largely unrepresentative of the current vision for the game. Still, if you're looking forward to playing Cyberpunk 2077, it would be best for you to avoid any information not coming directly from CD PROJEKT RED.

When the time is right, you will hear about Cyberpunk 2077 from us - officially.

CD PROJEKT RED Team

The whole thing could easily be a side story in Cyberpunk 2077 itself, as the sort of heist a profiteering netrunner might pull on a corporation. But this is real life and CDPR isn't an evil megacorp (that we know of) so it definitely isn't cool. And yes, I did briefly consider the possibility that this is all an elaborate publicity stunt. But as long as Hideo Kojima doesn't seem to be involved I'll assume that isn't the case.

Now we just have to wait and see whether the extortionist(s) release the files or if CDPR's strong stance will convince them not to risk further trouble. Read our list of the best cyberpunk games (the genre, not the RPG system) for more interactive tales of near-future intrigue.

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.