Older Release Date and General Speculation Thread.

[TheMurkWhoLurks]

No offense, but that would be fucking ridiculous, especially when 99.9% of the people that will play CP 2077 haven't even heard of the tabletop or Mike Pondsmith. Stretching out the development cycle to seven years just to coincide with the anniversary of an obscure pen and paper game makes no sense.

Not really stretching out in my mind. The closest I figure they'll finish it is 2019. Sure, TW2 and 3 took four years, but A) they weren't working on other projects during that time, and B) it wasn't on the same scale as CP2077 is apparently going to be. The lack of development news supports this. That said, a '17 or '18 release is possible, but I don't expect it. To put things in perspective, Fallout 3 took four years of dev time by a company with loads of experience with the genre. And that's for an early-ish 360/PS3 era game. Back then, games were ~5GB. Nowadays, even sports games run in excess of 50GB. Every byte in that total must be coded by a programmer, and that takes time.

EDit: Forgot to mention that the Witcher games could use elements of the previous games. Why build a new combat system and have your artists design new swords when you already have that stuff and just need to make them shinier?

 

[lord_blex]

Not really stretching out in my mind. The closest I figure they'll finish it is 2019.

don't forget that according to their 5 year plan they want to release two games by 2021. 2019 for cp would leave just 2 years for the other game.

Back then, games were ~5GB. Nowadays, even sports games run in excess of 50GB. Every byte in that total must be coded by a programmer, and that takes time.

game sizes are growing because of higher quality assets. they take time, but I doubt it's the majority of the development process.

 

[dragonbird]

Nowadays, even sports games run in excess of 50GB. Every byte in that total must be coded by a programmer, and that takes time.

The two largest components are the audio files and the 3D assets. Neither of which are "coded". They're just big.

 

[Garrison72]

I'm so glad I don't obsess over this game's development any more. LALALALALALA. Look at me not obsessing I LOVE IT. SO FREE.

 

[dragonbird]

Oh, also...

EDit: Forgot to mention that the Witcher games could use elements of the previous games.

There is absolutely NOTHING re-used from the first Witcher game in either of the two later ones. Different engine, totally different combat/gameplay, different generation of graphics. The engine for the third game evolved from that used in the second, but this is also the case between TW3 and CP77.

The lack of development news supports this.

No, the lack of development news supports the fact that they don't want to talk about it. Any other interpretation that you choose to put on it no more than just that - your own interpretation. It isn't evidence. The Witcher 3 was announced for the first time early in 2013, less than two years before the (then-scheduled) launch date, and 27 months before the actual launch date. This is just the way they do things.

 

[Suhiira]

No, the lack of development news supports the fact that they don't want to talk about it. Any other interpretation that you choose to put on it no more than just that - your own interpretation. <clip> This is just the way they do things.

CDPR works sorta the way Bathesda did with Fallout 4, they don't say a word till a few months before release.

If CP2077 was for some unfathomable reason cancelled or put on indefinite hold I'm sure CDPR would actually come out and say so, because unlike some game developers/publishers (*cough cough* EA) they don't intentionally string their fans along with false hope,

 

[Edo34]

CDPR works sorta the way Bathesda did with Fallout 4, they don't say a word till a few months before release.

If CP2077 was for some unfathomable reason cancelled or put on indefinite hold I'm sure CDPR would actually come out and say so, because unlike some game developers/publishers (*cough cough* EA) they don't intentionally string their fans along with false hope,

The problem with this is that Bethesda NEVER officially announced Fallout 4,they did it just before E3 last year and then released the game what...just 4-5 months after that,while CP2077 WAS officially announced back in 2012.Basically,it just can't have the same effect because of that.

 

[TheMaster100]

Helo, I am new to the forums although I have been lurking for the past three years, just had the incentive to join now
Regarding the game's development, I rather they take their time (which they have been doing so far).

 

[Suhiira]

... while CP2077 WAS officially announced back in 2012.Basically,it just can't have the same effect because of that.

That wasn't "really" an announcement, it was an advertisement for artists and developers.
Admittedly it acted as one, but that wasn't it's intent.

 

[Edo34]

That wasn't "really" an announcement, it was an advertisement for artists and developers.
Admittedly it acted as one, but that wasn't it's intent.

Well,it's not how most people see it though.

 

[Eredin_Breacc_Glas]

Not really stretching out in my mind. The closest I figure they'll finish it is 2019. Sure, TW2 and 3 took four years, but A) they weren't working on other projects during that time, and B) it wasn't on the same scale as CP2077 is apparently going to be. The lack of development news supports this. That said, a '17 or '18 release is possible, but I don't expect it. To put things in perspective, Fallout 3 took four years of dev time by a company with loads of experience with the genre. And that's for an early-ish 360/PS3 era game. Back then, games were ~5GB. Nowadays, even sports games run in excess of 50GB. Every byte in that total must be coded by a programmer, and that takes time.

EDit: Forgot to mention that the Witcher games could use elements of the previous games. Why build a new combat system and have your artists design new swords when you already have that stuff and just need to make them shinier?

don't forget that according to their 5 year plan they want to release two games by 2021. 2019 for cp would leave just 2 years for the other game.


game sizes are growing because of higher quality assets. they take time, but I doubt it's the majority of the development process.

Keep in mind that around 250 people finished TW3, and, since then, the company has swelled to 800 (Or, it's projected to reach that with-in a few months, or something.). I believe that they'll be working on CP77 and their other (Yet-unnamed.) R.P.G. at the same time. My guess is CP77 in 2018 to 2020 (2019 most likely.), and the other game in 2020 or 2021. Once the CP77 team finishes the game, most will transfer over to TW4, while a much smaller team stays back to work on one year's worth of expansions and free D.L.C., just like they did with TW3.

 

[Pug.]

That wasn't "really" an announcement, it was an advertisement for artists and developers.
Admittedly it acted as one, but that wasn't it's intent.

That just strikes me as bizarre. When most companies recruit new talent for an upcoming title, they usually say something like "[insert name] is seeking a qualified [insert title] for a new, unannounced IP." They don't release a teaser trailer on YouTube and then proceed to create a forum to discuss a project that is years and years away. I kind of wish CDPR would just go about their shit, work on whatever projects they want to work on, and then announce what they've been up to six months before release.

 

[Eredin_Breacc_Glas]

That just strikes me as bizarre. When most companies recruit new talent for an upcoming title, they usually say something like "[insert name] is seeking a qualified [insert title] for a new, unannounced IP." They don't release a teaser trailer on YouTube and then proceed to create a forum to discuss a project that is years and years away. I kind of wish CDPR would just go about their shit, work on whatever projects they want to work on, and then announce what they've been up to six months before release.

I think they released it for the sake of testing the waters; "Is this something that people are interested in?", and so forth. I believe someone at C.D.P.R. may have said something along these lines, too.

If CP77's teaser trailer hadn't garnered so much excitement, I'm sure that there would have been no follow-up work.

 

[Sneky]

That just strikes me as bizarre. When most companies recruit new talent for an upcoming title, they usually say something like "[insert name] is seeking a qualified [insert title] for a new, unannounced IP." They don't release a teaser trailer on YouTube and then proceed to create a forum to discuss a project that is years and years away. I kind of wish CDPR would just go about their shit, work on whatever projects they want to work on, and then announce what they've been up to six months before release.

That was not only job advertisement but also they wanted to know if gamers are actually interested with this idea/game. They were after Witcher 2 and they didnt know what big success Witcher 3 will be. At that time they could not afford something like Bethesda did with Fallout.

Anyway, im confident that they already have done most of the design, writing, prototyping, engine, some art also.
Good pre-production can speed up production and reduce chances that they will stuck somewhere in production phase. They know what they are doing, they have alot of experience after Witcher 3 development which had big problems, 2 delays overral 7 months, crunches etc so now they are preparing much more and better, changing tools etc because they probably dont want another Witcher 3 situation.

Also we should get more polished game technical and gameplay wise.

 

[Pug.]

^^^ Fair enough. I guess I just don't see the need of a teaser trailer to "test the waters." It's not exactly a hidden secret that gamers like scifi, they like guns, and they like boobs - not to sound puerile here, but come on - and any combination of those things is bound to meet with approval. The film Bladerunner and games like Mass Effect have already proven that this is not a niche category. We're not exactly blazing new trails here or working on something really avant-garde.

 

[Suhiira]

I think they released it for the sake of testing the waters; "Is this something that people are interested in?", and so forth. I believe someone at C.D.P.R. may have said something along these lines, too.

If CP77's teaser trailer hadn't garnered so much excitement, I'm sure that there would have been no follow-up work.

Yep.

They've said they were amazed by the feedback they've gotten to the teaser-trailer. I personally think a large portion of that is due to the fact that it's CPDR, people know they'll do it right and not turn it into an FPS deathmatch game.

 

[Decatonkeil]

^^^ Fair enough. I guess I just don't see the need of a teaser trailer to "test the waters." It's not exactly a hidden secret that gamers like scifi, they like guns, and they like boobs - not to sound puerile here, but come on - and any combination of those things is bound to meet with approval. The film Bladerunner and games like Mass Effect have already proven that this is not a niche category. We're not exactly blazing new trails here or working on something really avant-garde.

I think it's fair to test the waters and to consider a sub-genre of sci-fi as something niche, let alone cyberpunk, and cyberpunk in probably its purest form. In general I think that fantasy is much more popular than sci-fi or that unadulterated, hard sci-fi. A lot of the most popular sci-fi franchises are closer to fantasy with a futuristic coat of paint. Cyberpunk itself has seen a drift from something harsher, grayer, dirtier and political to something that is more about technology... while some of the most popular versions of the genre (and others like Steampunk) are often audulterated with magic, because it's either easier to write or easier to understand or both than technobabble (even if completely made up). A game that is a throwback to the original 80s style of cyberpunk may not have been as popular. But I think people are resonating well with it and I wonder if the current resurgence of popularity of the genre isn't thanks to CP2077 alone.

 

[VikingStudios]

There was not only the trailer. There was also the announcement about the P&P license, homepage with the blog. Which were also quite early (2013 i think). So for me, this sounds more than some testing. At least buying a license doesn't happen within a few days.

 

[Decatonkeil]

I think both trying to sell something on name alone and trying to sell it on star power are both very cynical. But when both of them happen and they're the only thing that happens (as in it only has the name and the star and not te substance) that's like a cynical combo. I got, for example to Aeon Flux live action before I got to the animated series. And even if it was an american MTV IP (created by South Korean animator Peter Chung) I think it's fair to say that it was a way obscurer thing to sell on name alone. I watched part of the movie, knowing about the original's existence probably through videogame magazines or maybe even through cyberpunkreview which I used to browse back then, and thought "I don't really get it, but I don't know if it's good or bad or if I need to watch the original to understand it (which is never a good thing)". I watched the animated series, thought it was something really special, watched the movie again... and the problem wasn't even that it was bad (don't get me wrong, it was), or the casting of Charlize Theron (who, to be honest, did a pretty good Aeon Flux... especially vocally).

The problem was how it again talked down to the live-action moviegoer audience, which society often assumes as more mature and intelligent than "cartoon aficionados". Where the animated series had Trevor Goodchild, the loveably despicable, pioneer paraphiliac, morally gray, dictator/scientist the movie was so sexless and clean. Where the Bregna and Monica conflict was an actual conflict in the series, with two city-states divided by a wall with automated turrets and other horrors that would kill or cripple people who wanted out of Bregna, and Breen leaders posed questions about what kept people in Bregna, if ideas or the fear of death (the episode's name was Tanatophobia)... the plot of the movie perverts this to make Trevor Goodchild a benevolent dictator that was protecting people. What???

I care for GITS more than for any other fictional universe or IP. That's why I'm worried about this.

 

[Suhiira]

The problem was how it again talked down to the live-action moviegoer audience, which society often assumes as more mature and intelligent than "cartoon aficionados".

What else is new?
While I tend to agree that many of what I personally refer to as "munchkins" often seem to fit that stereotype (all to well in some cases) most "serious" fans tend to be quite to opposite. Heck, just look at some of the discussions that take place in these forums ... posts involving anthropology, metallurgy, physics etc. are hardly uncommon. And the best Magna often touches on topics most live-action stuff won't touch.