After the disastrous launch of Cyberpunk 2077, the company has promised to make changes to how it markets its games moving forward. Part of this plan is to be more open with fans about their games, especially closer to their launch. It seems that the company is at least keeping that promise, as in a recent Investors meeting they refused to offer dates for two of their Next-Gen updates.
Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 are both getting upgraded versions that are planned to release on the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 at some point in 2021, a fact that was reconfirmed in another investors meeting. During an H1 Earnings Call, which was streamed live, they were asked about when the two games might release or if they might be held back into next year.
VP of business development Michał Nowakowski refused to offer up any concrete date, or be drawn in by the question in any way. In a full statement he said:
Our target is to release the next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 late this year […] At the same time, keeping in mind the lessons we have learned during the past year, and taking into account the fact that this project still remains in development, we can’t say with full certainty that the production schedule will not change, of course.
And with The Witcher 3, the situation is slightly different in a way that this is being tackled by the external team mainly, which is Saber Interactive, the company we have worked with before on Switch and also the updates in the past. As with Cyberpunk 2077, our goal is to release that game still in late 2021. However, similarly, the development process is ongoing, and we cannot be absolutely certain that the release schedule will not change. But for the time being, we definitely are aiming with both titles for late 2021 and I don’t want to be more specific at this moment in time.
Obviously, when developing a game you need to have a timetable to keep the project on the right course, so it seems they are still aiming for 2021 in that regard. However, it would also appear the company is comfortable delaying the project if they do not feel they can meet that deadline.
CEO Adam Kiciński stated in a separate webcast:
Following our promise to start communication closer to actual releases, we don’t want to say anything more about the next-gen edition of Cyberpunk 2077 other than that it is planned for the second half of the year. Of course, we have a specific date in mind internally, but it’s too early to say anything about this.
After releasing the game, CD Projekt Red has continually stated that they have learned a huge lesson about how to approach the launch of their games moving forward. Obviously, trust, especially trust between a company and consumers are not easily repaired. This is a small but sure step in the right direction.
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