CD Projekt Red Boss Downplays Cyberpunk 2077 Crunch, Then Apologizes

With Cyberpunk 2077 suffering a 21-day delay possibly due to the PS4 and Xbox One ports, issues with crunch have become a hot-button topic at Polish studio CD Projekt Red. On a recent investor's call, joint CEO Adam Kicinski said that some members of the development team have been "crunching heavily," but most have finished their work. Kicinski also noted that the issue of crunch is "not that bad" because some employees are happy with the extra three weeks. He has since walked the statement back and apologized.

"Regarding crunch. Actually, it's not that bad--and never was," Kicinski said. "Of course it's a story that has been picked up by the media, and some people have been crunching heavily, but a large part of the team is not crunching at all since they have finished their work; it's mostly about Q&A and engineers, programmers--but it's not that heavy. Of course, it will be extended a bit, but we have feedback from the team; they're happy about the extra three weeks, so we don't see any threats regarding crunch."

However, Kicinski has since realized that these comments came across as "demeaning and harmful." According to an email sent to CDPR staff obtained by Bloomberg News reporter Jason Schreier, the joint CEO said his Cyberpunk 2077 crunch comments were "utterly bad."

"I had not wanted to comment on crunch, yet I still did, and I did it in a demeaning and harmful way," Kicinski told staff in an alleged email. "What I said was not even unfortunate, it was utterly bad."

Cyberpunk 2077 was pushed from its November 19 release date despite going gold in October (you can read our Cyberpunk 2077 review now). A gold master typically means the game has passed certification and is ready to begin being manufactured. But CDPR clarified that while Cyberpunk 2077 is ready to go on PC and next-gen consoles, the team needs the extra three weeks for the day zero patch. It will not be shipping with full next-gen versions. However, the current-gen versions will be playable on the new systems with some technical improvements. When the next-gen versions arrive, they will also be free upgrades for existing players within the same console family. Xbox Series X players can upgrade from the Xbox One version, for instance.

Cyberpunk 2077 drops on December 10 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S / Series X. Hit up our Cyberpunk 2077 preorder guide to learn about the bonuses and editions available. For those curious, here are all of Cyberpunk 2077's delays.

If you're looking for something cyberpunk-themed to play while you wait for Cyberpunk 2077 to launch, the first-person action game Ghostrunner is an option. It plays like a mix of Dishonored and Titanfall, with smooth movement and a one-hit death system that turns every fight into a bloody puzzle.