If you have been catching up with the history and lore of Cyberpunk 2020, your efforts most certainly aren't wasted. Debunking an out of context quote, the creator of Cyberpunk 2020 has debunked a pernicious rumor that the RPG will have a separate timeline in Cyberpunk 2077.

Where did this rumor come from? It appears the origins can be traced back to publication SegmentNext, who quoted a PAX West conference with Cyberpunk series creator Mike Pondsmith. When asking about how the game's events have evolved since Cyberpunk 2020, he had this to say:

Let’s say that at this point, we plan to continue the timeline and you will see the things that you saw in 2020, but they will somewhat be changed. And that will affect both the timeline and also the fact that cellphones went from the size of the brick to the size your thump [sic.], and than again to the size of a brick. So you are going to see some shifts in technology.

For whatever reason, the publication believed that this quote confirmed that Cyberpunk 2020 and the upcoming CD Projekt Red game Cyberpunk 2077 would be an alternate timeline.

Though this went largely nowhere among the fan communities who have been following stories of the game, recent outlets have increasingly been picking up quotes out of context that Cyberpunk 2077 would be in a parallel universe to the main game, something that would be quoted incorrectly by both publications Game Rant and Daily Star.

In a seemingly exasperated address to the community, Mike Pondsmith took to the Cyberpunk 2077 official subreddit to confirm that both the tabletop RPG and the CDPR videogame will share the same universe.

"There's still an incorrect interview floating around the interwebs that states that Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk 2020 are separate timelines. To clear this up, I am posting RIGHT HERE AND NOW that the timeline is unified...."

This is some terrific news, mostly for fans of the established series -- while many are jumping onto the Cyberpunk 2077 train now that it is being backed by the ever-popular The Witcher development team, we know that the creative decisions won't be at odds with Pondsmith's vision.

Even better, it is great to see an IP creator still so involved with the community -- Pondsmith not only addressed this looming question from within the comment section, but is also incredibly active in answering smaller details (that he is permitted to answer).

We've seen a fair amount of fake news on the increasingly popular Cyberpunk 2077, including launch dates that are way too close and far far too far out. In the meantime, plenty of fans are making some awesome content to celebrate the series -- including a retro Atari mock-up and a The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild crossover.

There is no confirmed release date for the futuristic title, however the developer has let us know it will release “when it’s ready” for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Anyone hoping to pre-order the game and support the developer can already pre-order Cyberpunk 2077 on Amazon. Meanwhile, check out the above-mentioned Reddit post below:

"Yes, it's all the same timeline." --Maxmike Pondsmith from r/cyberpunkgame