From a controversial launch compared to No Man’s Sky to CD Projekt RED’s top-earner and a beloved RPG, Cyberpunk 2077 has had quite the journey. Even with all the improvements and updates thus far, some (like myself) may feel like certain parts could have been expanded on more, like the events occurring before the pivotal Arasaka heist.
Cinematic director Igor Sarzyński, who currently serves as creative director on the sequel, disagrees on whether it would make for a better experience. “Would extending Act 1 (before the heist) in Cyberpunk 2077 make the game better? No, it wouldn’t. It’s like saying we should spend more time on Tatooine with farmer Luke before he got involved with all this Jedi stuff.”
Sarzyński is referring to the part in Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope, which, honestly, is one of the least exciting (but still important) moments in the film. Of course, he also added that, “It’s an open world game, some manage to squeeze 20 hours out of Watson. Pick your own pace.”
He also feels that the main goal in this part, i.e. “get to the top”, would have resulted in a “meandering, unfocused experience,” if it went on for too long without any stakes or pressure. Of course, whether it’s enough time to spend with Jackie, V’s best friend, before the heist is subjective. “For some it is, for some it isn’t. All things considered, I think we struck a good balance.”
As for the half-year montage that commences after the first meeting between Jackie and V, Sarzyński clarifies that it in fact does not contain “cut content.” “We always planned it like this. But more on the ‘cut content’ notion in some other post.”
Sarzyński also recently debunked the myth that the elevators in Night City were meant to disguise loading screens. You can read more about that here.
As for Cyberpunk 2, codenamed Project Orion, it doesn’t have a release date, but CD Projekt RED outlined plans to scale up its development teams in the coming years.
