Cyberpunk 2077’s greatest days should be forward however developer CD Projekt Crimson introduced right now it’s now shifting focus and sources away to different initiatives, together with its new open-world Witcher recreation. Whereas the beleaguered sci-fi shooter will nonetheless get a narrative enlargement in 2023, it doesn’t sound like it will likely be getting any extra main overhauls sooner or later.
“We’ll clearly proceed supporting Cyberpunk 2077 and nonetheless engaged on updating it however [the] huge a part of the job we imagine has already been accomplished and was accomplished in 2021,” the corporate mentioned throughout right now’s earnings name. It additionally shared a presentation slide exhibiting how growth sources have shifted over time, with “help for Cyberpunk 2077” turning into one of many smallest segments as of February 2022.
That was round when CDPR launched the PS5 and Xbox Sequence X variations of the sport, in addition to patch 1.5, which added a ton of recent fixes, rebalanced rewards and ability bushes, and expanded relationships with sure NPCs. Most of the enhancements immediately addressed earlier criticisms of the sport, and I’ve lately been having fun with diving again into the newest model.
On the similar time, patch 1.5 struck me as the halfway level in Cyberpunk 2077’s redemption arc somewhat than a remaining victory lap. There are components of the sport I really like after which there are the components the place the simulation nonetheless steadily breaks and shatters any sense of immersion. CDPR didn’t say the open-world RPG received’t ever get one other patch on that scale, however all indicators level to growth winding down relating to any deeper revamp of how the sport performs or is structured. Which may not be a retreat a lot as a concession to the boundaries of what the sport is.
If that’s the case, a No Man’s Sky or Ultimate Fantasy XIV-style comeback may not be within the playing cards in any case. Throughout its tough 2020 launch, together with a PS4 model that was so unhealthy Sony pulled it from the PlayStation Retailer, Cyberpunk offered 13 million copies. At this time, CDPR introduced it solely offered one other 5 million within the 16 months since. Presently, that places whole gross sales barely forward of Tremendous Mario Social gathering and behind God of Struggle, each first-party exclusives. It’s additionally nonetheless severely under some analysts’ preliminary projections.
And whereas Cyberpunk 2077’s future continues to be murky, plans for added DLC have additionally appeared to get downgraded over time. CD Projekt president Adam Kiciński had beforehand mentioned the sport would obtain “no much less DLC than The Witcher 3 had,” and that recreation obtained two big and stellar expansions. For that cause, some had initially presumed Cyberpunk 2077 would equally get two main paid DLCs along with smaller free ones, however to date CDPR has solely confirmed one. It is going to arrive in 2023, the corporate introduced right now. Additional specifics stay elusive. A beforehand deliberate multiplayer element additionally seems to have been forged apart. CDPR didn’t clearly affirm what its destiny was when requested about it throughout right now’s earnings name, and didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark when requested to make clear its future plans for Cyberpunk 2077.
It’s not stunning that the corporate is keen, within the meantime, to maneuver on to different issues, particularly extra Witcher. CDPR revealed right now The Witcher 3 has shipped over 40 million copies, with the collection as an entire promoting over 65 million. Because it buckles down on creating the following recreation in that collection, it additionally has plans for extra updates to Gwent and The Witcher: Monster Slayer, a brand new Gwent spin-off, an unannounced undertaking on the lately acquired Boston studio, The Molasses Flood, and the next-gen model of The Witcher 3.
That final launch slipped out of this summer season after CDPR revealed yesterday it was taking growth away from Russia-based Saber Interactive and ending it in-house. Regardless of the dearth of a brand new launch window, the corporate mentioned it was unfair to explain it as “indefinitely delayed,” saying it merely wanted extra time to guage what work was left. “No person is saying the sport is delayed in some monumental kind of time hole forward of us,” mentioned Michal Nowakowski, SVP of enterprise growth.
