Since we were shown a trailer of Cyberpunk 2077 the game must be nearing the end of production right? Probably not. It might actually take a very long time before the game is released or we are shown anything beyond the trailer. It turns out there was a reason that CD Projekt RED showed off the gameplay behind closed doors, and that is because it wasn’t even the alpha version.
As reported by VG24/7, when the game was shown off to a Polish news website called Bankier, they asked the president of CD Projekt RED, Adam Kiciński, if the demo could be considered the alpha version. Adam Kiciński responded by saying that it was even earlier than alpha and that it was still far from the final version of the game, which is why they are showing it behind closed doors. He also added that the demo was the most polished part of the game and was ‘prepared’ to be shown off to other people.
A game that is even before alpha means it’s definitely not ready for playtesting. In the gaming industry, alpha and beta are two terms that you will come across extremely often. A game in beta means that all the important stuff is in the game and the beta can be either closed or open depending on how many people they want playtesting the game. Alpha means that the game is not complete yet, important elements are still missing, however, it’s still ready for playtesting. For Cyberpunk 2077 to be pre-alpha basically means that it’s not ready to be played at all. The demo was playable as they polished it up in order to show it to the press.
It’s a smart move on CD Projekt RED’s part to show off the gameplay like that. The press companies will report on what they have seen so that the general audience knows what to expect from the game. However, it also prevents hype from spiraling out of control all based on a demo of the game that’s not even the alpha version. It seems like the developers are just going to take their time and don’t feel pressured by the fans to release the game haphazardly.
The release of the game might still be quite a few years off and we might not even see gameplay footage for a while. Here’s to hoping that we won’t be completely left in the dark like we were after the game’s 2013 announcement. If you really can’t wait for Cyberpunk 2077 try out the board game and learn some lore of the world.
