For developer CD Projekt RED, its upcoming release of Cyberpunk 2077 is set to be the largest game the company has ever created. Even with the likely hundreds of hours players will need to uncover all Cyberpunk 2077 plans to offer, a single journey through Night City may not be enough for some.
The Lead Quest Design for Cyberpunk 2077, Pawel Sasko, followed up to a question on Twitter asking how character stats would compare to the likes of The Witcher 3. In the 2015 open-world RPG, Geralt of Rivia was offered limited upgrade slots, meaning players needed to choose carefully what stats they wished to focus on improving. Sasko's response doesn't directly confirm a New Game Plus mode is coming to Cyberpunk 2077, however connects the idea of needing more than one playthrough to max out a character's stat as a way to softly mention the idea of it.
"...most likely it won't be possible to max out everything on 1 playthrough, as it would have little sense to have a game that is about replayability and choices, while at the same time allow the players to max out all the stats on the first run :)"
This emphasis of choice and consequences has been a big part of CD Projekt RED's journey to making Cyberpunk 2077 as immersive an experience as possible. The idea of player choice outside of missions, such as killing civilians or opposing faction members, will yield different reactions from the Night City population in addition to the aforementioned main and side quests completed throughout the story. Even then, the ability to actually fail quests brings yet another narrative layer that adds further replay value to the game.
As if the news revealed thus far on Cyberpunk 2077's massive open-world wasn't enough, the team at CD Projekt RED has refrained from procedural elements in-game, meaning the entire map has been built by the team. Other reports in regards to the game, such as the developer's desire to match the polish of Red Dead Redemption 2, and having Keanu Reeves star as one of the game's main characters, are sure to also excited fans.
Will there isn't confirmation players will be able to carry over their progress into a second playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077, it's worth noting while The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt didn't launch with New Game Plus, it was New Game Plus was eventually added later on. Given the trend of games in recent years for games to add New Game Plus after launch (see Horizon: Zero Dawn, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, God of War, and Marvel's Spider-Man for examples), it likely won't surprise anyone should CD Projekt RED decide to do so as well.
Cyberpunk 2077 launches on April 16th, 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: Reddit