Cyberpunk 2 Release Window Is Giving Everyone An Existential Crisis
It is always a relief to have a new game on the horizon, as opposed to not knowing whether a sequel or successor will come, though the wait for a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel could be excruciating. Cyberpunk 2077’s original launch was infamously a horror story, but CD Projekt Red’s epic sci-fi RPG gradually bandaged its wounds and became an IP that players adore. The wait would have already been long without delivering a Witcher renaissance being CD Projekt Red’s chief priority, due to how volatile AAA game development can be nowadays. There are plenty of highly anticipated games that have yet to receive a release date or window, but fans are lamenting the production status of Cyberpunk 2 in relation to their own creeping mortality with sincerity and humor.
Song So Mi from Cyberpunk 2077.
In a video shared to YouTube, CD Projekt Red CFO Piotr Nielubowicz confirmed that the company’s studios “successfully led Cyberpunk 2 through the concept phase and entered pre-production.” This gives us somewhat of a glimpse into how far along Cyberpunk 2 must be, all while hundreds of developers have their heads down at work on The Witcher 4. On Reddit, fans have acknowledged this news and are crippled with anxiety regarding how old they may be when Cyberpunk 2 does finally launch. As a base of reference, anyone who was 18 years old when Cyberpunk 2077 was released in 2020 could be 27 or 28 years old when Cyberpunk 2 is released, and that is assuming it launches by 2030 at the earliest (a pipe dream, perhaps). User Eborys states that they will be turning 50 in 2029 and hope the game releases before they reach that milestone, amusingly sharing a gif of the scene where Matt Damon’s James Ryan rapidly ages in Saving Private Ryan. This is made even more poignant with this user admitting, “To think I was a mere 33 when they announced the first one.” On the other side of the spectrum, user Puzzleheaded_You_735 says, “I was 10 years old when they first announced cyberpunk. I’m 22 now.” Moreover, user KomithErr does not seem optimistic about how long Cyberpunk 2’s development might take, writing, “only 10 years to go guys.”
A close-up of V looking sad in Cyberpunk 2077.
It is sobering to think too long about how many years some games take from development to when they are (hopefully) inevitably released. That said, the same sentiment applies to any long-running franchise, as it will be more than 10 years between The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and The Witcher 4 at this point, as well.
Fans otherwise seem pleased that Cyberpunk 2 may not arrive any time soon, so long as it means that it will not launch in the same condition that Cyberpunk 2077 did. All fans can do is look forward to these games and enjoy their time with them when they launch, ideally with many other things to look forward to in the meantime.
