Cyberpunk 2077 is delayed, but Witcher 3 is free (for some)

You won’t be playing Cyberpunk 2077 this summer. Instead, you’ll be playing it this fall. After a five-month delay from April to September, CD Projekt Red has delayed Cyberpunk 2077 another two months, now releasing on November 19. The studio offered a message through the official Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter channel:

An important development update pic.twitter.com/uFGrt9Tqpi

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) June 18, 2020

The company says the game is finished in terms of content and gameplay, but that the game requires additional balance and bug fixes. CDPR also says that the game is in the hands of many journalists and that previews of the game are coming next week, starting after the company airs its Night City Wire digital event on June 25.

It’s worth noting that when CDPR delayed the game previously, the studio’s top brass said in January of this year that the developers would be crunching to get the game ready in time for April, meaning that the developers behind this game will likely have been crunching for 11 months by the time Cyberpunk 2077 is in our hands.

As a side note, I can’t help but think that date was intentionally chosen. Mid-November is when industry experts expect Sony to release the PlayStation 5 and Microsoft the Xbox Series X. While we have no doubt that CD Projekt Red needs the extra time to finish the game, I find myself wondering of Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t now a console launch title. It’s still coming to PC and both systems, of course, but it’s worth noting that Microsoft has been extra cozy with CD Projekt Red for a bit now. CDPR and Microsoft revealed Keanu Reeves’ part in the game at Microsoft’s E3 show a couple years back. And then there’s the sexy-looking Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One X that Microsoft is currently selling.

Look over there, a free game!

In the meantime, the company does have a minor salve in the form of a free game. To give the many gamers upgrading their PCs for Cyberpunk 2077 something to do, CD Projekt has a pretty stellar deal. If you own The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on (most) any other platform, CD Projekt has a free copy of the PC version for you.

If you own The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Xbox, PlayStation, Steam or the Epic Games Store, you’re eligible. Nintendo Switch owners, you’re out in the cold, unfortunately. Or out in the warm summer sun, playing the game while we’re all stuck inside–your decision!

GOG Galaxy 2.0 required

The deal goes through June 23, and all you have to do is connect the gaming platform in question to GOG’s new Galaxy 2.0 client. The version you own on that platform–standard edition or Game of the Year Edition–will determine which version GOG gives you. Gamers on Twitter and in comment threads on other sites are reporting that GOG is asking for a bare minimum of information here. If you’ve played the game on Game Pass on Xbox, for example, that’s enough to make you eligible. If you own a physical disc on console, GOG doesn’t seem to care–if you have a record of having played it on the profile you’re linking, that appears to be enough to get you your free copy.

The PC version, of course, allows you to crank up graphics as high as your GPU can handle as well as letting you install mods, like the one that lets you auto-loot everything that isn’t nailed down, and another that lets you make Geralt look like Henry Cavill, who played him in the Netflix adaptation of the Witcher novels.

Before you groan about another launcher to install, though, GOG Galaxy 2.0 is a bit different from the other launchers in that it is specifically designed to link to your other accounts and let you launch games. GOG also doesn’t peddle in new exclusives, with CD Projekt selling its games on other launchers in addition to its own.

Waiting another 2 months for Cyberpunk 2077 is going to be tough, even moreso knowing that the hundreds of people working on it are likely crunching for that much longer.