Cyberpunk 2077 Multiplayer Likely Delayed Until After 2021

Perhaps this should come as no surprise, but it turns out that the recent delay of Cyberpunk 2077‘s single-player adventure may also impact the release date for Cyberpunk 2077‘s previously announced multiplayer mode. 

CD Projekt Red confirmed the delay of Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer mode via an investor Q&A meeting in which studio vice president of business development, Michał Nowakowski, stated that the recent delay of the main game, as well as a “series of events we expect to occur after that,” ultimately means that “2021 appears unlikely as a release date for the Cyberpunk multiplayer”.

There are a couple of things worth pointing out regarding that statement. The first is that Cyberpunk 2077‘s multiplayer has been described as a major release that is almost being treated as a standalone Triple-A title in terms of its scope and budget. As such, it stands to reason that the mode will take longer to be released given that the base game is being delayed so that the studio can optimize it as much as possible before release. 

The other thing that caught our eye in that statement is the reference to a “series of events” that are seemingly yet to come. That could just a nod to the normal internal workings of such a business which typically follow the delay of a game and the subsequent release of that game. However, there’s another read of this statement which suggests that CD Projekt Red may also start working on another title after (or around the time of) Cyberpunk 2077‘s release which could force them to extend their production schedules a bit. 

In any case, the story here remains the delay of Cyberpunk‘s multiplayer. Truth be told, we can’t imagine there will be an overwhelmingly negative or frustrated reaction to this. Cyberpunk‘s multiplayer mode remains a mystery, and the draw of this project is still closely tied to the game’s single-player mode.

Still, it’ll be interesting to see what happens between now and the apparently far away release date of Cyberpunk 2077‘s multiplayer. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014.