Cyberpunk 2077 Issues Meant That Multiplayer Had to “Go Away”

Before Cyberpunk 2077 launched, CD Projekt RED talked about its multiplayer title set in the same universe (for which details were also reportedly datamined). Following the former’s disastrous launch, CEO Adam Kiciński revealed last year that the studio reconsidered releasing the latter. Instead, the plan is to gradually add some multiplayer activities to the Cyberpunk and Witcher franchises.

Cyberpunk 2077 senior quest designer and coordinator Philipp Weber, who is also the narrative director for the next Witcher game, provided more details to Eurogamer on why multiplayer never happened. “We really needed to look at what were the priorities for Cyberpunk [after it launched]. The priority was that the main experience will run for the people in a really good state.

“And essentially, the switch of priorities meant that other R&D projects had to go away. With Cyberpunk, we wanted to do many things at the same time, and we just needed to focus and say, ‘Okay, what’s the important part? Yeah, we will make that part really good.'”

There’s still plenty for fans of the franchise to look forward to, like the paid expansion Phantom Liberty launching in 2023. Cyberpunk 2077 will also receive a Game of the Year Edition afterwards, along with more free updates like a revamped police system and melee combat. A sequel, Project Orion, is also in development and will require between 350 to 500 developers as the core team moves to Boston.