CDPR Moving On From Cyberpunk 2077 To Witcher 4 And Other Games
Cyberpunk 2077’s finest days should be forward however developer CD Projekt Crimson introduced immediately 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 growth in 2023, it doesn’t sound like will probably be getting any extra main overhauls sooner or later.
“We are going to clearly proceed supporting Cyberpunk 2077 and nonetheless engaged on updating it however [the] huge a part of the job we consider has already been executed and was executed in 2021,” the corporate stated throughout immediately’s earnings name. It additionally shared a presentation slide displaying how improvement sources have shifted over time, with “help for Cyberpunk 2077” changing 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 talent timber, and expanded relationships with sure NPCs. Most of the enhancements instantly addressed earlier criticisms of the sport, and I’ve just lately been having fun with diving again into the most recent model.
On the similar time, patch 1.5 struck me as the halfway level in Cyberpunk 2077’s redemption arc slightly than a ultimate victory lap. There are components of the sport I like after which there are the components the place the simulation nonetheless continuously breaks and shatters any sense of immersion. CDPR didn’t say the open-world RPG gained’t ever get one other patch on that scale, however all indicators level to improvement winding down in relation 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.
In that case, a No Man’s Sky or Ultimate Fantasy XIV-style comeback may not be within the playing cards in spite of everything. 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. As we speak, CDPR introduced it solely offered one other 5 million within the 16 months since. Presently, that places complete gross sales barely forward of Tremendous Mario Get together and behind God of Struggle, each first-party exclusives. It’s additionally nonetheless severely beneath 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 stated the sport would obtain “no much less DLC than The Witcher 3 had,” and that recreation acquired 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 thus far CDPR has solely confirmed one. It’ll arrive in 2023, the corporate introduced immediately. Additional specifics stay elusive. A beforehand deliberate multiplayer element additionally seems to have been solid apart. CDPR didn’t clearly verify what its destiny was when requested about it throughout immediately’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 shocking that the corporate is keen, within the meantime, to maneuver on to different issues, particularly extra Witcher. CDPR revealed immediately The Witcher 3 has shipped over 40 million copies, with the collection as an entire promoting over 65 million. Because it buckles down on growing the subsequent 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 challenge on the just lately acquired Boston studio, The Molasses Flood, and the next-gen model of The Witcher 3.
That final launch slipped out of this summer time after CDPR revealed yesterday it was taking improvement away from Russia-based Saber Interactive and ending it in-house. Regardless of the shortage of a brand new launch window, the corporate stated it was unfair to explain it as “indefinitely delayed,” saying it merely wanted extra time to judge what work was left. “No person is saying the sport is delayed in some monumental kind of time hole forward of us,” stated Michal Nowakowski, SVP of enterprise improvement.