After a series of delays, Cyberpunk 2077 has officially gone gold ahead of its November 2020 target release, shortly followed by a leak of the game's full map.
Through its official Twitter account, Cyberpunk 2077 developers CD Projekt Red have announced it's going gold. In gaming parlance, a game is "going gold" if its creators have submitted the final version of the game to publishers, ready for mass reproduction. This term dates back to when old video game makers actually used gold-colored CD-R discs in storing the final version of the game files.
Cyberpunk 2077 has gone gold!
See you in Night City on November 19th! pic.twitter.com/s6U266Y1fp — Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) October 5, 2020
After Push Backs and Six-Day Workloads
The action role-playing video game was first announced in May 2012, to be developed by the same team behind the hit RPG game Witcher 3, with a teaser being released more than half a year later in January 2013. However, its hype reached new levels with its E3 spot last year, featuring Keanu Reeves, who also lent his likeness as the character Johnny Silverhand.
It was first marketed for an April 2020 release, with pre-orders for the game opened across different platforms including Google Stadia, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. However, by January 2020, CD Projekt Red moved the launch date to September 17, citing "more time to finish playtesting, fixing, and polishing." The devs expressed a desire to have Cyberpunk 2077 as their "crowning achievement for this generation," adding that the additional time will allow them to perfect the game.
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By June 2020, CD Projekt Red again announced the pushing of the game launch to November 18. To work towards meeting their promised November schedule, the Polish video game publisher has even tasked its employees to work six-day work weeks, despite promising earlier that they will not force overtime on this project.
After reneging on their promises and going on "crunch mode," CD Projekt Red seems to be on the way towards their latest commitment to the gaming community. In fact, they have recently dropped a new trailer which featured Keanu Reeves and game clips set against Billie Eilish's hit single "Bad Guy."
Cyberpunk 2077 ad with Keanu Reeves that just showed in the NBA Finals Game 1. pic.twitter.com/pnRmPePm2b — Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) October 1, 2020
Accompanied by a Full Map Leak
Further adding to the hype from the approaching release date is the full map for Night City, where most of the Cyberpunk 2077 story is set. It was leaked through an imgur gallery and includes the physical map and a postcard set.
Official Cyberpunk 2077 physical map and postcard set
This map is consistent with the Cyberpunk 2077 artbook released last April, plus text markers and topological detail never seen before. It also reveals the approximate size of Night City, consistent with CD Projekt Red's previous statement that their map will be smaller compared to other open-world games, specifically in comparison with their other work - The Witcher 3. However, what Cyberpunk 2077 lacks in size, it makes up in density. One of the most anticipated features in that it features multi-story buildings players can interact with.
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In a previous interview with producer Richard Borzymowski, he noted that Night City should somehow feel like The Witcher world being squeezed into one city. He compared the vast plains and wilderness present in The Witcher compared to the busy bustling metropolis that is Night City.
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