Cyberpunk 2077 Has Gone Gold, November 17 Launch Almost a Given

[btarunr]

CD Projekt Red announced that Cyberpunk 2077, the year's most anticipated game has gone Gold, meaning that its release-to-market version is ready, which it can pass on to its distributors. "See you in Night City on November 19th!," reads the CDPR tweet announcing the Gold status. The game had seen a series of launch delays in its nearly decade-long development cycle. Cyberpunk is an open-world RPG, not much unlike GTA. The game is based on a fictional city along the US west coast called Night City, set in the year 2077, when technology is a force of nature. Ahead of its launch, a user on Resetera forums leaked a map of Night City, find it below.



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[robot zombie]

I'm excited... but looking back on everything, I kinda wonder how much isn't said about project management. I guess it's tough when you've got something THIS big intending to take years... but I don't know. Something about continually putting numbers on things and then being like "oh wait, actually this number." while news about going back to crunching surfaces. Kiiinda sus. Don't wanna cast doubt. I have some hype for this one. On some level I hope it's my favorite game basically ever. Not saying the product can't be good.

Of course, the optimist is all like "Good on CDPR, taking the time to get it right!" And then there's this miserable jackass with a golden apple on the other side, jeering "Yeah, but shouldn't that have already been the case? Why now? Did anybody expect them to leave a lot of bugs?"

 

[timta2]

With the depressing lack of good new AAA games recently, we really need this.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I'm excited...

Same here. I'm keeping my expectations low but I'm still excited! It's been a while since I've gotten rev'd up about a game release.

 

[rtwjunkie]

Same here. I'm keeping my expectations low but I'm still excited! It's been a while since I've gotten rev'd up about a game release.

The last game I got really revved up for release was Dying Light. I saw the first trailer a year out and I was slobbering for it. Thankfully it didn't disappoint. I still go into it a few hours every month just to roam around the various maps challenging myself.

This one here, I'm looking forward to it, but not entirely there. I guess I want to see how it is technically and gameplay wise compared to their prior masterpiece. A repeat on that scale is tough for any studio to do, much less twice consecutively.

 

[Space Lynx]

Seems odd to me they had to "make mandatory weekend 1 day overtime" a thing as of what was it only two weeks ago? and now its gold? seriously... I don't that one day over was really needed... not a big deal really imo, but they did break their promise on it. Just seems unnecessary as it has already gone gold, seriously, two extra days made the difference to stay on track for a gold ready sign off? lol weird

 

[thevoiceofreason]

Seems odd to me they had to "make mandatory weekend 1 day overtime" a thing as of what was it only two weeks ago? and now its gold? seriously... I don't that one day over was really needed

They will likely keep working on a 0-day patch up until the release.

Still, I think all this reporting about crunch is overblown. People putting in extra work, and being rewarded for it? The horror.

 

[robot zombie]

They will likely keep working on a 0-day patch up until the release.

Still, I think all this reporting about crunch is overblown. People putting in extra work, and being rewarded for it? The horror.

Hard to say. Crunch has been a thing in the gaming industry... and really a lot of these big companies cultures for a long time. It's no secret that there's a significant burnout issue across the whole industry. It's not just about being paid. Straining people working in creative and technical jobs hurts their output. It pushes people out, and it hurts the industry. It affects a lot of people, and the scrambling is probably bad for our games. I have been through that whole cycle. Once you're fried, you're done. And it's not just a one and done thing. More piles up each time you go through it until there is no going back ever again. You will of course say yes whenever possible. Even if it's optional, the culture tends to discourage opting out, lest you be seen as less of a team player. And after a certain point, no bonus cash is enough to replace what you lose in health and life. So it's a sensitive issue, especially with recent generations being more about healthy work/life balance.

Is that true here? Only the employees really know. CDPR is not squeaky clean in this area, not at all. So it's an issue.

Beyond that... in this case, they made it a point to take an absolute stance on crunching. When pressed they decided to carry a torch for the well-being of their devs. So in a sense they made liars out of themselves on that. When you consider CDPR's image now, and past accounts of what people working on TW3 went through, it's not hard to imagine where the scrutiny comes from. Part of the hype with CDPR is that most of the time, they practice what they preach. People hold them to a higher standard. And they have settled into that role. This comes with the territory. People wouldn't be scrutinizing them if they hadn't made a thing out of it. Why go there if you're not prepared to back it up? If you make those claims, you want to be absolutely sure you stick by them. The reaction isn't really surprising. And they had to know that too. They know how the gaming community is. Which makes me think it hasn't been very smooth sailing this past year. Whether they screwed up and set themselves back or simply had bad luck doesn't change the outcome.

Personally I just find it interesting that they made it known that they didn't need to do it... that they had planned it out so that it wouldn't have to be that way. Which to me doesn't trigger moral alarms so much as it makes me wonder how the management is. To me, sudden crunches come down to bad management, staffing issues, and goals. When you advertise your goals openly, talk about those things you won't do, push back those goals, AND do the things you were confident wouldn't be needed, I can't help but wonder what's going wrong there. Especially with a title that's this big.

 

[thevoiceofreason]

I appreciate the thoughtful reply.

Hard to say. Crunch has been a thing in the gaming industry... and really a lot of these big companies cultures for a long time. It's no secret that there's a significant burnout issue across the whole industry. It's not just about being paid. Straining people working in creative and technical jobs hurts their output. It pushes people out, and it hurts the industry.

To put it in perspective, people were asked to work six extra Saturdays on a seven+ year development cycle. I'm not saying crunch is not an issue in general, but in this case it doesn't seem particularly jarring.

Besides, at the risk of sounding like a bitter millennial, it's not like game development is the one place where people sometimes have to put in extra hours. Across many industries it's just the reality of doing business.

I have a feeling game development in particular is kept to a different standard due to reporting in media, catered to the interests and viewpoints of as you put it 'recent generations'. This in turn becomes a PR issue, where companies are expected to pretend it is a real burning problem because game journalism has manufactured this kind of perception...

Personally I just find it interesting that they made it known that they didn't need to do it... that they had planned it out so that it wouldn't have to be that way. Which to me doesn't trigger moral alarms so much as it makes me wonder how the management is. To me, sudden crunches come down to bad management, staffing issues, and goals. When you advertise your goals openly, talk about those things you won't do, push back those goals, AND do the things you were confident wouldn't be needed, I can't help but wonder what's going wrong there. Especially with a title that's this big.

Software development is notoriously complex, interleaved and hard to plan for so it does not come as a surprise to me. Very few large projects complete on time and budget - there are just too many variables to account for. The work also does not easily scale, see The Mythical Man-Month.

 

[Vayra86]

I'm excited... but looking back on everything, I kinda wonder how much isn't said about project management. I guess it's tough when you've got something THIS big intending to take years... but I don't know. Something about continually putting numbers on things and then being like "oh wait, actually this number." while news about going back to crunching surfaces. Kiiinda sus. Don't wanna cast doubt. I have some hype for this one. On some level I hope it's my favorite game basically ever. Not saying the product can't be good.

Of course, the optimist is all like "Good on CDPR, taking the time to get it right!" And then there's this miserable jackass with a golden apple on the other side, jeering "Yeah, but shouldn't that have already been the case? Why now? Did anybody expect them to leave a lot of bugs?"

I think way too much has been said about this game. Let the game speak for itself.

Its no secret that CDPR's project management is an ongoing process of learning and not learning certain lessons. Above all, pressure and stress levels are pretty high, up to and including devs leaving the studio shortly after, for example TW3 was released. They're definitely learning and not being soft about it, there is little question about it. How that relates to the product itself? Not at all. Can work out in a hundred different ways and until you can look into people's heads, your guess is as good as mine really.

What matters about project management is the results. The fact they postpone it to deliver quality, is always better than not postponing it to not deliver the quality that was intended. The fact its Gold now, means the project is moving towards finalization. I only see positives.

Can't find the original interview within 10 seconds, but here is a ripoff

 

[b1k3rdude]

Whats with the image of keanu reeves that is clearly not.

 

[basco]

when i was a waiter nobody cared about my crunchtime up to 7 days a week during summer or working on days when others celebrate like christmas+++
and yes i did get more money for it so it was a half fair deal.
so many other jobs where this is normal practice- here it is totally blown out of proportions.
i think wizzard too knows cruchtime and many others who post here.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

The last game I got really revved up for release was Dying Light. I saw the first trailer a year out and I was slobbering for it. Thankfully it didn't disappoint. I still go into it a few hours every month just to roam around the various maps challenging myself.

This one here, I'm looking forward to it, but not entirely there. I guess I want to see how it is technically and gameplay wise compared to their prior masterpiece. A repeat on that scale is tough for any studio to do, much less twice consecutively.

I love dying light, a lot, still play it a bit at least daily. Can't wait for DL2 and this too.

 

[C1ff0]

I think that @basco here have the best position.

Nearly all works that are in the market can require you to do some overtime/crunch. Even more now that we are in a crisis period and when work arrive you don't want to let it slip away.

The directors at CDprojectRed have valued that there is a need to work one day more every week until day 1?

Perfect. More bug-hunting and a more polished game for us. And more money for all the workers coinvolted.

I think that at this point, the creative process is nearly finished. You don't add entire quest/maps/areas/ecc.. into the game with so little time left.


I work in the enginering field, crunch time/overtime is nearly the standard every time a big project/work have to be done in time. At least here in italy, in the civil enginerring, there is so much competition..


It's not the end of the world.



Another thing is, when the crunch /overtime is the norm inside the workplace. That is a sign of bad resource/work management. Or straight up malice, to milk the underlings. I don't thnk that this is the case.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Whats with the image of keanu reeves that is clearly not.

He's directly a part of the marketing campaign as he is in the game. And yes that is him.

 

[Chomiq]

Still, I think all this reporting about crunch is overblown. People putting in extra work, and being rewarded for it? The horror.

Yeah sorry but working under deadline for extensive period of time is not really "fun". I've had some hands on with it in the last weeks of September, I don't wish it upon anyone. Especially when those deadlines are heavily affected by something completely independent from your actions.

It's up to PM's to schedule the work so that it gets completed on time, without any need for excessive overtime or crunch. You've got 20 working days in a month. If magically you have to make it 24 then it's not because you're employees are slacking, it's because management wasn't doing it's work and only now they've faced the reality of incoming deadlines.

CDPR has a history of extensive crunch periods being forced upon its workforce. If it wasn't like that in the past its CEO wouldn't have made his promise (which he now has broken) when it came to CP2077.

We're not talking about your mom and pop's small business, we're talking about a company that's traded on stock exchange and has to meet their goals for quarter/fiscal year.

 

[Space Lynx]

Yeah sorry but working under deadline for extensive period of time is not really "fun". I've had some hands on with it in the last weeks of September, I don't wish it upon anyone. Especially when those deadlines are heavily affected by something completely independent from your actions.

It's up to PM's to schedule the work so that it gets completed on time, without any need for excessive overtime or crunch. You've got 20 working days in a month. If magically you have to make it 24 then it's not because you're employees are slacking, it's because management wasn't doing it's work and only now they've faced the reality of incoming deadlines.

CDPR has a history of extensive crunch periods being forced upon its workforce. If it wasn't like that in the past its CEO wouldn't have made his promise (which he now has broken) when it came to CP2077.

We're not talking about your mom and pop's small business, we're talking about a company that's traded on stock exchange and has to meet their goals for quarter/fiscal year.

the worst part is, a company like CD Projekt Red probably has insane profit margins due to witcher 3 and now cp2077, but they will still prob only pay time and half for that overtime, when they could easily afford quadruple overtime for those one day weekend crunch times - that would boost morale, and not even really hurt your bottom line at all. a AAA game like this will sell like hotcakes and the pre-order numbers already prove it.

 

[Chomiq]

the worst part is, a company like CD Projekt Red probably has insane profit margins due to witcher 3 and now cp2077, but they will still prob only pay time and half for that overtime, when they could easily afford quadruple overtime for those one day weekend crunch times - that would boost morale, and not even really hurt your bottom line at all. a AAA game like this will sell like hotcakes and the pre-order numbers already prove it.

Yes, according to Polish law they have to pay 150% of regular pay for hours spent on a Saturday. Sadly, this is the reality of employer following the rule of the law for its own benefit. However, thanks to the same law employees will also be able to claim equivalent of 150% of the time spent on work on Saturdays as paid vacation.

 

[Space Lynx]

Yes, according to Polish law they have to pay 150% of regular pay for hours spent on a Saturday. Sadly, this is the reality of employer following the rule of the law for its own benefit. However, thanks to the same law employees will also be able to claim equivalent of 150% of the time spent on work on Saturdays as paid vacation.

that 150% bonus vacation time is actually a really nice bonus. america does not have that one, only the time and half one

 

[Pixrazor]

to the devs, you still have 1 month to upgrade those vehicle physics.

 

[bug]

I think way too much has been said about this game. Let the game speak for itself.

Its no secret that CDPR's project management is an ongoing process of learning and not learning certain lessons. Above all, pressure and stress levels are pretty high, up to and including devs leaving the studio shortly after, for example TW3 was released. They're definitely learning and not being soft about it, there is little question about it. How that relates to the product itself? Not at all. Can work out in a hundred different ways and until you can look into people's heads, your guess is as good as mine really.

What matters about project management is the results. The fact they postpone it to deliver quality, is always better than not postponing it to not deliver the quality that was intended. The fact its Gold now, means the project is moving towards finalization. I only see positives.

Can't find the original interview within 10 seconds, but here is a ripoff

About employees leaving: many developers who work on a game are only hired for that specific job. Same as GFX artists, musicians, SFX guys...
Of course some will leave because of burnout (or boredom). I'm just saying, employees leaving after the job is done is not an indicator of anything.

I have high hopes for this, even if, in the good tradition of the first Witcher games, it will need an "enhanced edition" further down the road

 

[Th3pwn3r]

They will likely keep working on a 0-day patch up until the release.

Still, I think all this reporting about crunch is overblown. People putting in extra work, and being rewarded for it? The horror.

Did you miss the part about MANDATORY overtime? Only scummy companies pull that one. There's a reason unions exist and it's because of stuff like that. Overtime should never be mandatory. People have lives and if you're always stuck at work working it's just not worth it. UNLESS of course you really love your job I guess .

 

[matar]

3ed person i would buy it, i know its not so not buying it, unless they add an option to do so.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Did you miss the part about MANDATORY overtime? Only scummy companies pull that one.

Some of the best companies in the world do that. Sometimes you gotta put in the extra effort.

 

[Arcdar]

that 150% bonus vacation time is actually a really nice bonus. america does not have that one, only the time and half one

yeah…. especially if you take into consideration that in the EU the Standard Holiday is About 20 days a year (up to 30 --- here in Germany where I live everyone >30 years of age will have 30 days/year if you didn't completely screw up your contract and work for a shady Company ).

Also, like it was stated, if we talk About 6 to 20 days of "over time" in a year (or here compared to the complete dev-cycle) it's not really that big of a deal AND decently compensated (yes, they could get an extra Bonus and would deserve it, but even the "by law" compensation is already decent )

Some of the best companies in the world do that. Sometimes you gotta put in the extra effort.

yeah. Just go and ask BMW production employees, when the factories re-opened and BMW went in with tripple-shifts (3 shifts per day, running production for 21 Hours per day with overlap of Crews / breaks calculated in) on 6 days of the week for 4+ weeks.

dunno when or if they stopped it already, but they did it for at least a month and were Talking About physically demanding Labor. Yes, using your brain also drains your Energy and will wreck you similarly, but it's still different.

And no one would complain About that - they Need to catch up with lost production and People are waiting for their cars of Course. Also, it's not hyped so much as in SW dev, where the average dev-job Pays two to three times what a production/manufacturing Job Pays .... *sigh*. It's … different. Because our interests are different. As is our Focus.



So I don't say it's a good Thing and crunch should be mandatory Always.... I just wanted to Point out that everyone just uses it or brings it up when it's conveneient but ignores it everywhere else where it's a Thing for a much longer time and in completely different propotions...