As we approach the supposed and hopefully final release date of Cyberpunk 2077, it can be hard to stay optimistic given how many delays have already taken place. Many players have been asking for time off just to play the game and feel like they've been let down by CD Projekt Red. There's no denying there's been a huge delay, partly due to current-gen consoles as well as no doubt the pandemic.
As per usual, however, the Internet responds to these unfortunate delays with a sense of humor and sarcasm. In the past few months, the yellow background of the Cyberpunk 2077 news team's messages has become a scary and iconic meme format, but it's not the only hilarious way people have responded to the bad news of the most anticipated game getting pushed back.
Updated January 15th, 2021 by Anastasia Maillot: No game has created as much buzz and controversy in the past few years and especially the past few months as CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077. After several delays that had fans squirming in impatience and playing guessing games, the company decided on a sloppy release in early December.
Riddled with bugs, which are usually prevalent in any major triple A release, as well as being one of the most anticipated games of the last decade, has turned the game into a bit of a meme. While there's a lot of frustration over the lack of quality in some aspects of a game that ends up brilliant in writing and visuals, increasingly more people are turning to memes to vent out their frustrations with humor.
15 Delay After Delay
Delays are no new thing for seasoned gamers who know that good things will come for those who wait. However, the sheer anticipation for Cyberpunk 2077 resulted in many people growing incredibly impatient and frustrated with every delay. It's understandable, given how much hype was around the game.
However, the culmination of all this is a messy release which put the game into an unnecessarily bad light. It also made anyone who pre-ordered the game on last-gen console feel like an absolute clown, after waiting for so long.
14 Altering The Date
Everyone still remembers the anticipation of hearing more news and seeing more content from the game. Every day, logging into Twitter would be a major risk to see yet another bad news post from CD Projekt Red.
The emotion is perfectly captured in this classic Star Wars meme of Darth Vader claiming he will alter the date, rather than the deal. There's no question that many hardcore fans of the company and the game were silently praying in their heads that no further delays would ensue in the future.
13 84 Years From Now
With more and more delays in the autumn of 2020, many started joking about the release actually never happening. How old would gamers have to be to actually get their hands on this fabled title? Thankfully, the wait turned out to be much shorter than many seemed to have expected.
Still, it's funny to think what would have happened if another year had passed for Cyberpunk 2077. With so many 2020 references in the game, however, it's safe to say the company's higher ups wanted to push the game out as soon as possible before 2021.
12 Fans Who Are Never Happy
With the delay past now, the new meme seems to be around the expectations that so many fans had for the game. Console optimization issues aside, many believed the game would be the game "to rule them all", which by definition was a highly unrealistic expectation and added pressure on the company that was struggling to finish the game.
It all boils down to fans being far too demanding and unrealistic. It's an either-or question: either the game is delayed but less buggy or is rushed and will need hotfixes and patches in the coming year. But hey, at least they got what they asked for, which was a 2020 release and no more delays!
11 The Traumatizing Color
With these delays, a repeating theme was definitely the menacing yellow color of CD Projekt Red's various statements to the fans. It was always a frightening feeling to see one of these messages pop up on the Twitter feed and just know that the game would once again be delayed for several months.
As a result, there's probably an entire generation of gamers who have now become sensitive to this incredibly bright and infamous color. Seeing this anywhere just lights one up with fear and doubt, in a way nothing else does.
10 Pinky Promise, No Delays!
Remember that time when CD Projekt Red said they wouldn't have any more delays even with the pandemic raging? In the past year, we've seen a lot of this back and forth within the company, as it dances somewhere between "no more delays" and "we just want the product to be ready".
It's safe to say everyone was shocked and upset when these false promises turned out to be just what they are: false. Of course, there was no way for the company to know exactly what kinds of challenges they would be facing late into the development process.
9 Anything For Perfection
There are many reasons to delay a game, and the pandemic has definitely put a dent into many things this year. It's not just the game industry being affected by remote work, but movie and TV series industries as well. While some games simply lag behind due to poor planning in terms of schedule, others have more vague reasons.
CD Projekt Red has received quite a bit of criticism for its obsession over perfection. There's no way around it: the game won't meet all expectations at release, no matter how long it's polished for. Let's just hope it really is all a small price to pay for a good game and its excellent soundtrack.
8 It Could Be Worse
The delays for Cyberpunk 2077 have often been followed by a rather dramatic discussion in social media, particularly Twitter. Fans were initially quite understanding of the situation, but as time has gone on frustration has risen to the point where some are even sending death threats to developers.
However, in the grand scheme of things the delay Cyberpunk 2077 has experienced is nothing compared to countless other games that have known much worse. Let's not even talk about Half-Life 3 and how fans will never receive it. Well, most likely, at least.
7 It's Okay, CDPR, We Love You
Although in the past few months fans have become incredibly critical of the developers and CD Projekt Red in general for mishandling some of its delays and not communicating with the PR team that manages Twitter, initially the company enjoyed quite a bit of positive support. In fact, most people still seem to be in support of them despite the delays.
This is most likely because of the company's amazing track record. Unlike many other companies (yes, we're looking at you EA), they've shown their capacity to listen and respond to fan demand in a proactive way. For that, they deserve the trust and support of players, even when things don't go according to plan.
6 The Sheer Pain
Frustration towards the constant push of the release date has led to some pretty funny takes, such as the idea that Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't even exist and is never coming out. By the time its main audience has reached the average age of 60, the game might still not be out for all we know.
Obviously, this is tied to the constant pain we feel from watching this game getting pushed back, hyped up again, and then pushed back again. It really does play with your heart in an infuriating way.
5 Three Months Of Polish
From chasing perfection to fixing bugs and polishing the gameplay, there's been a ton of general expressions to describe what the developers have been up to since the initial delay. The whole idea of needing several months to clean up a game is considered by many fans as a bit absurd, which is why memes like this have become so popular.
While it's true that you can only polish a game for so long, it's safe to say a huge world like Night City has so many different areas and details that require a ton of work to really nail. At least it's good to know the developers want to ensure we're as immersed as possible.
4 Not Again!
The worst color of the year award has to go to CD Projekt Red, who continuously uses this bright neon yellow with black details to deliver its bad news to its fans. It's no wonder so many people feel their heart sink when seeing another post with this background pop up on the game's Twitter page.
It has also spawned numerous new memes, and the responses have been hilarious. If there ever was a color that could trigger anger, sadness and pain in a lot of people, then it has to be this one. There's only so many other games we can play while impatiently waiting and trying to understand.
3 The Real Release Date
Back to the question of the release date, a major joke which has been circulating all around social media for weeks since its summer release date was yet again pushed, and since the November date was pushed. Are we ever going to even get the game and if so, when exactly? All we need is one straight answer.
Well, some claim to have figured out the answer, and it's in the game's title. In the far future of 2077, we might finally be able to get our hands on the open-world RPG game we've always wanted to play. Then, maybe the game will be polished enough and perfect enough.
2 A Simple Matter Of Miscommunication
Although it might sound a bit silly, it's not that surprising to know that Cyberpunk 2077 is causing people to take time off so they can fully enjoy and immerse themselves into the game. As such, some were asking the official Twitter account if any delays were to be expected, or if the November date was final.
As we know now, the Twitter team wasn't given the heads up on the delay soon enough, which created a whole mess on social media. However, maybe we all just misinterpreted the original message?
1 All The Feels
No matter what your thoughts and feelings on the delays are for Cyberpunk 2077 at this current point, it's affecting all of us in one way or another. With how much hype and artistic content has come out since the summer months, CD Projekt Red is really getting us ready for a ride of our lives.
It's no wonder then that fans feel defeated beyond belief when another delay comes around. Your heart just sinks at the sight of that yellow message, and leaves you in a terrible state. Here's to hoping we actually get the game before the end of the year 2020!