Update - April 9, 10am EST:
Cyberpunk 2077 is still scheduled to be released on September 17, as CD Projekt Red president Adam Kiciński affirmed in the studio's latest shareholder report.
"Since mid-March we have been working from home, while ensuring continuity of all our operations," Kiciński said. "Our goals haven’t changed; first and foremost, we intend to release Cyberpunk 2077 in September. We feel motivated and have the necessary tools at our disposal to meet this goal. We also 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."
Like many studios, CD Projekt Red shifted to a total remote work schedule just over three weeks ago in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. At the time, the studio maintained that the development and release of Cyberpunk 2077 wouldn't be majorly affected, but we've seen multiple games delayed since then, including The Last of Us 2. So it's encouraging to hear that one of the year's most anticipated RPGs is weathering the pandemic alright. Let's hope that the folks working on it are, too.
Original story - March 16:
Cyberpunk 2077 was already delayed once, and its developers are taking measures to make sure not even the coronavirus pandemic pushes it back again.
The studio shared a message on its official Twitter account that laid out the steps the studio is taking in response to the outbreak. According to the update, the studio has upgraded its equipment and infrastructure in order to let employees work from their homes where they have much less risk of catching the disease (or transmitting it, if they were infected but still coming to work).
"Today, as a result of that preparation, CD Projekt Red switches to full remote work for as long as it is needed," CD Projekt Red said. "We think this will grant every team member the highest level of personal health safety. And while this all is a bit new to everyone, we are rising to the challenge and showing no signs of stopping in our effort to bring you some kick-ass role-playing action in September."
Many of you are probably wondering how things are at CD PROJEKT RED right now. Here's a short update. pic.twitter.com/aWfHobgtoMMarch 16, 2020
If the arrangement isn't as effective as CDPR hopes, the game's release date could still end up being impacted by COVID-19. Even if that happens, it's much more important that the studio keeps its employees safe and healthy than put out a video game on time.
The rest of the games industry is feeling the impact of coronavirus: at least one industry analyst group is predicting that PS5 or Xbox Series X will be delayed past their launch window this year, though others disagree.
