CD Projekt Red reconsiders Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer after single player woes
CD Projekt, the company behind Cyberpunk 2077, this week published a rather lengthy video in which is breaks down its corporate strategy moving forward. That might sound like a boring watch, especially considering that the video clocks in at just over 24 minutes long, but there were actually some very interesting tidbits of information contained within. While CD Projekt didn't reveal any new games or detail the DLC that's on the way to Cyberpunk 2077, it did suggest that it's rethinking the strategy around Cyberpunk 2077's upcoming multiplayer release.Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer is something that's been on the docket for quite some time, and CD Projekt Red has been planning to release it as a standalone product since well before Cyberpunk 2077's release. In this strategy update video, CD Projekt Red explains that Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer was slated to be the company's next big release, but with the shift in development strategy announced earlier in the video, the company is now reconsidering that decision and, seemingly, Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer as a whole.
"Previously we hinted that our next AAA would be a multiplayer Cyberpunk game, but we have decided to reconsider this plan," CD Projekt joint CEO and president Adam Kicinski said near the end of the video. "Given our new, more systematic, and agile approach, instead of primarily focusing on one big online experience or game, we are focusing on bringing online into all of our franchises one day."
Before that final part of Kicinski's statement sets off alarm bells, it should be noted that immediately before this statement, Kicinski also said that CD Projekt Red will be doubling down on its identity as a developer of single-player, story-rich games first. The company wants to add online components to all of its games, but Kicinski stressed that CD Projekt does not want to go overboard with online implementations and only wants to add online functionality where it makes sense.
What that means for Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer is unknown at the moment, but it sounds like CD Projekt's focus might be shifting away from that standalone release as it works to fix the single player Cyberpunk 2077 and implements changes to its development strategy. Some of those changes include expanding so it can work on more than one major release at a time and also shortening the length of marketing campaigns for its games. You can watch the entire strategy update video embedded above, but otherwise, we'll keep an eye out for more details about Cyberpunk 2077 and its possibly-scrapped standalone multiplayer release.