Yesterday's delay of Cyberpunk 2077 into December was met with negative reception, much like pretty much anything related to video games on the internet. Fans were furious that developer CD Projekt Red had promised not even a full day earlier that the title would be receiving "No More Delays," yet here comes yet another delay that may not even be the last.
Look, I've been critical of the company in the past. Just earlier this year, I wrote an Op/Ed to CDPR's executives saying they should be ashamed of crunching their employees to make a stupid game. I still feel that, since this latest delay is going to incur even more crunch on top of the years of crunch that has been going on at the studio.
That being said (and I can't believe I even need to say this in 2020): DO NOT SEND DEATH THREATS TO THE COMPANY. On Twitter yesterday, senior game designer Andrzej Zawadzki for CDPR took to Twitter to share a heartfelt message about the vitriolic responses some of his team were receiving after announcing this latest setback.
Considering we're in 2020, and the hell that is this year keeps going like some twisted Energizer bunny, it's understandable why some people may have overreacted. Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most anticipated games in recent memory and people were looking forward to escaping our monstrous reality for a bit. CDPR has also promised time and again that nothing would stop the studio from hitting its November target, yet that was false.
So, things boiled over and people got upset. What you need to do in a situation like this, though, is take a step back and realize that this is just a video game. It being delayed isn't going to end your world. You'll be just fine without Cyberpunk. There are plenty of other games being released this year that you can play while you wait. It's okay. You'll be okay.
What's never okay is sending death threats to anyone, especially not the overworked employees that will now have to face another 21 days of crunch to get this game out. If you want to be upset at something, be upset at how the AAA (or is that "AAAA"?) industry is garbage. Be upset that despite more media coverage, seemingly nothing is being changed at these ridiculously wealthy studios. These workers deserve better treatment already, and sending them death threats is most certainly not that.
Sadly, this isn't a new phenomenon. For over a decade now, entitled gamers have taken to death threats to voice their disdain. I still remember Treyarch getting death threats over tweaking the weapon balance in Black Ops 2 back in 2013. Sadly, that disdain has never been focused on the correct target. More people are upset that they won't be able to play something a month earlier than they are at how mistreated employees are. More people care about material goods than they do the well-being of developers.
It's absolutely appalling that this ridiculous trend is still going on. In a time period where mental health and morale is at an all-time low, why would you even think that a death threat is an acceptable behavior? It's never been acceptable, but it's especially egregious during an unprecedented global pandemic.
I won't apologize for my comments about its work culture, but really and truly: stop this nonsense. Grow up a bit and realize that the individual developers working on Cyberpunk do not make these calls. They also have no control over if an issue will appear that necessitates a delay. If it takes until 2077 for the game to actually come out, then so be it.
As we enter a new generation of gaming, it's time for gaming culture to evolve alongside our devices. If we can't manage that, then maybe we really don't deserve games anymore.