Early copies of ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ are going for $700 on eBay

Cyberpunk 2077 has, through a combination of much-extended hype and genuinely intriguing gameplay, soared to the top of our list of most anticipated games this year. Apparently, some people received the game early, because now we’re seeing eBay listings for the game at a 900-percent markup. This should go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: please don’t buy them.

These copies were likely shipped early by retailers. This certainly wouldn’t be the first time a much-anticipated game made it to consumers early by some combination of misinformed shipping companies and unfortunate timing. Some folks on Twitter have mentioned that Best Buy in particular is shipping some of its pre-orders already.

With just a week left until the game’s official release (finally!), you can definitely wait a little longer instead of rewarding scalpers who managed to find a copy early. Given that you can download the game right to your PC or gaming console, it isn’t exactly going to be difficult to come by.

If you do come by one, please don’t spoil it — While your long-awaited product leaking early is certainly a nightmare situation for game developers and other creators alike, it’s also somewhat unavoidable. There are just way too many moving parts.

CD Projekt Red — the company behind the game — is aware of this. The game’s official Twitter account posted a message asking players to please refrain from posting video or livestreams of the game until 3 a.m. P.S.T. on December 9. The hope is that all gamers will “have the same — spoiler-free — experience at the same time the game releases.”

Besides being the kind thing to do, refraining will also keep you out of legal trouble. CD Projekt Red says it will send MAX-TAC, “you know, the guys who take down videos” after anyone who posts before launch day.

We've almost made it — The road to Cyberpunk 2077 has been long and exhausting. The game was first announced in May 2012; the first teaser was released in January 2013; we saw first gameplay at E3 2018; by E3 2019, the game had a release date of April 2020.

By January of this year, the game’s launch had been pushed to September. In June it was delayed to November; by the end of October it had been moved to its current release date of December 10.

At this point, the game’s release is going to feel just as surreal as the game itself. We’re sure its developers are ready to breathe a very deep sigh of relief next Thursday. They’ve already faced death threats because of the game’s many delays — the least we can do now is wait one more week to play and stream the game.