It's good to know that Cyberpunk 2077 looks to still be on track for its release date of September 17th 2020. CD Projekt Red has come out and announced that, despite the coronavirus epidemic, their staff would be continuing to work, but utilising the ability to do it remotely instead of in an office. This is as a precaution to try and keep their staff safe while maintaining some semblance of a schedule to make sure everything actually gets done on time.
The statement was released on Twitter and explained that they've been keeping an eye on the situation, and have made the decision to switch to full remote work for as long as needed. Given that we've no real way of knowing how long this is going to last, it's good that the company is taking the safety of its staff seriously, especially as it's safe to assume that each staff member is integral to the development of the game at this late stage in the development cycle.
While this is an all-important step towards looking after their employees, it doesn't negate the fact that this probably means the staff will be working longer hours at home. Back in January, shortly after the delay of Cyberpunk 2077 from April 16th to the new date in September, a call with investors had the chief executive admitting that there would still be some need for crunch.
This also doesn't take into account that many of the staff might not be used to working from home, which, while it sounds great, does have a fair few challenges. While the date is still set to be hit according to the company, the ongoing effects of both coronavirus and the new working environment could well mean things either take longer, or the team has to crunch harder. The former is obviously preferable to the latter, but it's impossible to say which way things will go.
It's worth noting that GOG.com has also gone into full remote work as well. The company is part of the CD Projekt family of companies, so it makes perfect sense that their statement is the same as the CD Projekt Red one. There are some differences in how this will affect the staff of course, but it's reassuring to see that nobody in the company is being forced to endure the volatile environment of office work at this point in time.
As things stand, Cyberpunk 2077 will launch on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia on September 17th 2020 with a next-gen launch following later on Xbox Series X and PS5.