Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to have a multiplayer experience on top of its single-player campaign, but the game's tumultuous launch forced CD Projekt Red to change its priorities. There are few people in the video game industry unfamiliar with the story of Cyberpunk 2077's disastrous release or its equally chaotic development. The failure of Cyberpunk 2077 caused CD Projekt Red's stock to plummet to roughly a quarter of its original value. It is no hyperbole to say that the sky was falling for the company made famous by its impeccable launch of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, as difficult choices lay ahead.
The Cyberpunk 2077 team understood that its priorities had to change. The single-player experience had to be patched up, and it ultimately came at the cost of multiplayer. Even a year prior to its launch, fans were aware that any multiplayer component of Cyberpunk 2077 would only arrive post-launch, but once the developers shifted their resources to fixing what was there, any research and development projects had to cease.
Though Philip Weber was a senior quest designer at that time, he is now the narrative director for the next Witcher game. In an interview with Eurogamer, Weber finally shed light on CD Projekt Red's decision-making in the months that followed Cyberpunk 2077's release, and what the lessons learned mean for the company's future. Philip Weber candidly mentioned the launch of Cyberpunk 2077 as the main factor that caused CD Projekt Red to pivot. It could not afford the luxury of making expansion packs or developing its multiplayer component – the team had to focus on taking what Cyberpunk 2077 already was, and making that experience the best that it could be.
Adam Kicinski, the president of CD Projekt Red, did not close the door on a Cyberpunk multiplayer game in the future, but also emphasized that the team primarily wanted to build single-player, story-driven, role-playing games. Unwilling to lose its identity, the longterm plan for CD Projekt Red is more about adding online components to its future games and less about pivoting to multiplayer experiences.
Between The Witcher remake, a completely new Witcher saga, and the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, the workload for CD Projekt Red is shaping up to be extremely busy for the next few years. There is little doubt that the company has been humbled by the experience of Cyberpunk 2077's launch, but its direction exudes a newfound sense of confidence now tempered by wisdom. It remains to be seen if the fruits of this labor will turn out bitter or sweet, but fans of Cyberpunk and The Witcher have plenty to be excited about.
Cyberpunk 2077 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Eurogamer