Most gamers have already heard about CD Projekt Red delaying Cyberpunk 2077 until September. Well, now we also know that the game's multiplayer features won't be available for at least a year after launch. Is that news a bit disappointing? Sure. Is getting access to everything sooner worth the stress it puts on the development team? Absolutely not.
Member of the Board, Michał Nowakowski, had this to say about Cyberpunk Multiplayer in a recent conference call focused on the game's release date:
So, given the expected release of Cyberpunk 2077 in September and the series of events which we expect to occur after that date, 2021 appears unlikely as the release date for Cyberpunk Multiplayer.
It's also important to note that joint CEO of CD Projekt Red, Adam Kiciński, provided additional clarification in regards to the multiplayer. "Cyberpunk Multiplayer" is actually a codename for AAA content that is being worked on in parallel with Cyberpunk 2077. That could hint at a variety of things, such as a sprawling GTA V-style mode, or possibly a standalone project. Either way, it's a ways off for now.
Honestly, Cyberpunk 2077 is supposed to be a massive game, and it felt as though there weren't even enough hours in spring to get through all of the titles slated for March release before the recent delays. Cyberpunk 2077 will take quite a bit longer to reach our homes with all of its modes available, and that's perfectly okay. The developers are already under crunch conditions, and presumably will be for the foreseeable future.
It seems as though the game's delay did very little in the way of mitigating the impact of the workload. In fact, when asked if the development team was expected to put in crunch hours, Adam Kiciński stated the following in the same conference call:
To some degree, yes – to be honest. We try to limit crunch as much as possible, but it is the final stage. We try to be reasonable in this regard, but yes. Unfortunately.
It's understandable that some fans would be upset over delays and missing content at launch, but it's always important to remember that actual people are the ones who bring these games to life. Rome wasn't built in a day, and many of these people work tirelessly in order to create products for our enjoyment. So, the last thing the dev team needs is even more crunch on top of what they're currently faced with.
Source: CD Projekt Red