‘Cyberpunk 2077’ promised to avoid crunch time. It failed.

The release of the open-world, action-adventure title Cyberpunk 2077 has been moved (again) by 21 days, according to the game's official Twitter account. Explaining the decision, which undoubtedly disappointed a bunch of gamers who've been highly anticipating the game's release, developer CD Projekt Red said:

The biggest challenge for us right now is shipping the game on current-gen, next-gen, and PC at the same time, which requires us to prepare and text nine versions of it.

The creators are referring to Xbox One, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4 and prop, and compatibility with PlayStation 5, PC, and Stadia in the midst of workers taking on projects remotely. It's proof that crunch is pretty darn real, and developers need more representation in labor rights and representation. People have talked about this kind of unionizing endlessly, for and against.

It was hoped that Cyberpunk 2077 would launch alongside the forthcoming next-gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft. Sadly, now that's not going to happen, but spare a thought for CD Projekt Red's staff, which will no doubt be pulling plenty of all-nighters between now and the revised release date or December 10.

What CD Projekt Red has to say — "Since Cyberpunk 2077 evolved towards almost being a next-gen title somewhere along the way, we need to make sure everything works well and every version runs smoothly," the statement reads. "We're aware it might seem unrealistic when someone says that 21 days can make any difference in such a massive and complex game, but they really do."

The title joins an ignominious line-up of titles that have "gone gold" — meaning they're ostensibly complete — only to be delayed, which includes the poorly received Army of Two, and NBA Elite 11, which failed to launch entirely.

"Some of you might also be wondering what these words mean in light of us saying we achieved gold master some time ago," @CyberpunkGame goes on to add. "Passing certification or going gold means the game is ready, can be completed, and has all content in it. But it doesn't mean we stop working on it and raising the quality bar. On the contrary, this is the time where many improvements are being made which will then be distributed via a Day 0 patch."

"This," @CyberpunkGame adds, "is the time period we under-calculated." You can say that again.

U is for union — Cyberpunk 2077's delay is yet another confirmation, if you were ever looking for one, that developers need unions or some tangible form of organizing that gives them a say and autonomy over their labor, a seat at the decision-making table, and ensure they're fairly compensated when crunches happen and they're suddenly expected to go far beyond the scope of work they originally agreed to.

A union for devs would give these workers a fair say in overtime, hours, and wages. It could even help with obviously disappointing incidents like this one. With that said, if you're in the mood to wait, how about making a PC for Cyberpunk 2077 in the meantime? You've definitely got time to work out any kinks before the game arrives.