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Cyberpunk 2077 delayed until December despite developer crunch

CD Projekt Red Promotional handout of the game Cyberpunk 2077CD Projekt Red

The highly anticipated video game Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed again, pushing it weeks after the launch of the next-generation consoles.

The title is now set to go on sale on 10 December.

Staff had previously been told to work six-day weeks in an effort to finish it by mid-November.

A letter from the developers said there would be "many emotions and questions" about another delay, and asked fans to "please accept our humble apologies".

Cyberpunk 2077 is a new franchise from CD Projekt Red, maker of the much-loved The Witcher series of games.

It was originally "announced" in 2012, but then re-announced in 2018 and then showcased with huge fanfare - and an appearance from actor Keanu Reeves - in June 2019.

It was initially planned for the game to go on sale in April this year, but has now been delayed three times.

Most recently, it was scheduled for release on 19 November - the same day as the UK launch of the PlayStation 5 and nine days after the Xbox Series X goes on sale.

But that created the problems leading to another delay, developer CD Projekt Red said.

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"The biggest challenge for us right now is shipping the game on current-gen, next-gen, and PC at the same time, which requires us to prepare and test nine versions," a statement from bosses Adam Badowski and Marcin Iwinski read.

"We're aware it might seem unrealistic when someone says that 21 days can make a difference in such a massive and complex game, but they really do," the pair added.

They promised an "amazing game" that players will "fall in love with" once it was complete.

The studio came under fire from some of its own fans when it announced staff would have to work overtime to finish the game - known in the industry as "crunch". It had previously promised not to impose that kind of demand on its staff.

The studio has not said if that will now continue for an extra three weeks, but journalist Jason Schreier, who has written extensively on game developers' working conditions, tweeted that it "probably won't change much for the developers, many of whom were going to be crunching into December anyway for a post-launch patch".