Back in late last year, when the Sony PS5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X had yet to be officially unveiled, Cyberpunk 2077 was still months away from its originally scheduled release date and was been spoken of as being built from the ground up for the current generation of consoles.
Indeed, in an earnings presentation the makers of the game even went so far as to note that, in terms of a next-gen Cyberpunk 2077 release, while "we do have insight into what's around the corner; what's happening with PlayStation and Xbox" and that "one may safely assume that at some point we're going to do something with the next-gen", that any release was "not going to be around the launch timeframe of those consoles."
As was reported by respected gaming publication USGAMER at the time, the take-away from this information was very much "Cyberpunk 2077 likely won't come to PS5 or Scarlett [the then reported codename for Xbox Series X] around launch".
That was back in November 2019, and since then both next-gen consoles have been unveiled and Cyberpunk has been delayed not just once, but twice. Speaking on the first delay CD Projeckt Red said that “We are currently at a stage where the game is complete and playable, but there’s still work to be done", with a new 17 September 2020 release date posted.
This release date was later confirmed as something that would not move, with senior vice president of business development Michal Nowakowski stating in a call with investors that:
"We're definitely not planning to move our dates because someone else is going to land in the window".
However, in mid June the maker of Cyberpunk 2077 confirmed that the game had been delayed again, and this time it was until 19 November, 2020.
And, this is where gamers worldwide started to get very excited. That's because that date of November 19 is exactly one day before the date that the Sony PlayStation 5 has been heavily leaked to be launching.
In addition, the Xbox Series X, which has an official launch date of Winter Holiday 2020, has also been tipped to be launching in late November, with the date of 20 November reported also.
All evidence therefore seems to be pointing to Cyberpunk 2077 launching at the same time as both next-gen consoles, and the game being 100 per cent playable on both of them, too. Cyberpunk 2077's next-gen launch plan has stepped into the light and now looks very concrete, with the game playable on both the current gen consoles, as well as the next-gen consoles.
After believing we weren't going to get to play Cyberpunk 2077 on the PS5 and Xbox Series X "around the launch timeframe of those consoles", this is therefore really, really welcome news and seems like a serendipitous benefit of CD Projekt Red taking extra time to finish off the game so that it is perfect.
Indeed, only a matter of days ago was it officially confirmed by the game's official Twitter account that Cyberpunk 2077's PS4 version will be playable on PlayStation 5 as soon as the game launches, and that the Xbox One version will also be able to be played on the Xbox Series X.
And that, simply put, is great news for gamers. Ever since Cyberpunk 2077 was announced gamers the world over have been hoping that it would be playable on the next-gen of consoles and now, thanks to two large delays to the game, it looks like it will be at launch, too.
Furthermore, gamers don't pick up a next-gen console at launch, and instead decided to play the game on a current-gen console, will be able to port their game over to the next-gen version for free, too, when they do pick up a system. It is literally a win-win for gamers.
Here at T3 Cyberpunk 2077 is the number one game we are most excited about playing this year, and the prospect of playing it on next-gen PS5 or Xbox Series X hardware at launch is truly mouth-watering. All we can say now is roll-on November 19!
Can't wait until November 19 without getting a taste of Cyberpunk 2077? This awesome deep dive video shows a slice of the awesomeness that awaits.
Cyberpunk 2077 will also be shown off more in an brand new Night City Wire event on June 25th, 2020, so be sure to tune in then for even more details.
