While Grand Theft Auto 5 was always going to be a major success, the game's multiplayer mode ended up extending the game's success even further than expected. Grand Theft Auto Online started off humbly, even with some technical problems and lack of content, but has since ballooned into something far grander. Now the player experience in Grand Theft Auto Online strangely resembles MMO-like progression; different tiers of businesses, apartments, bunkers, heists, etc. Many figured a similar experience was coming to Cyberpunk 2077's multiplayer, even though unfortunately, CD Projekt's latest game has far more pressing matters to attend to at this point.
However, putting aside Cyberpunk 2077's existing technical issues, the multiplayer portion of CD Projekt's latest RPG could potentially climb to the same heights. Given how expansive the world of Night City is, and the sheer difference in playstyles/character builds, Cyberpunk 2077 could expand into a similar experience. The base game of Cyberpunk 2077 was meant to have purchasable apartments, has a collection of cars/vehicles players can buy, very similar to Grand Theft Auto Online. Even in a world where there bugs/issues of Cyberpunk 2077 are totally resolved, adding a similarly engrossing online mode could help the game excel even further.
Grand Theft Auto Online Extended GTA 5's Lifespan Twofold
In a lot of ways, Cyberpunk 2077 shares a few similarities with Grand Theft Auto Online's humble beginnings, though not to the same severity. When the expansive Grand Theft Auto 5 online mode first launched in 2013, it was certainly a shell of its current self. Devoid of the same business metagames, bunkers, even the previously announced and delayed heists, Grand Theft Auto Online was more akin to Grand Theft Auto 4's more simplistic online offering. Eventually the playerbase had dwindled to a much smaller number in comparison to what it's become, though not necessarily as bad compared to games like No Man's Sky or Anthem.
It wouldn't be until multiple updates introduced the CEO/Office metagames, along with motorcycle clubs and more, where Grand Theft Auto Online would truly explode into the huge game it is now. Once 2016 rolled around, a steady flow of players started to return and play Grand Theft Auto Online. From there, revenue from microtransactions, alongside the grind-like nature of office/business progression, kept players around for a while. It's also worth noting that Grand Theft Auto roleplay, though mod-supported and not an official Rockstar Games option, has also contributed to a huge rise of players in Grand Theft Auto Online as well.
Cyberpunk 2077's Multiplayer Could Provide a Similar Boost in Popularity
In the case of Cyberpunk 2077, an expansive online mode could potentially act as a pseudo-comeback for the game. Many of the defining aspects of Grand Theft Auto Online were indeed meant to be portions of Cyberpunk 2077's original gameplay experience, though they may have been cut content. Things like purchasing multiple apartments throughout Night City, or even some of the existing features like V starting a car collection, are exactly what players strive for in Grand Theft Auto Online. Those features and more could make Cyberpunk 2077's experience similarly expansive, not to mention how each character's customizable V could carry over.
Even some of the extracurricular activities in the game, like visiting bars and talking to NPCs, could carry over into Cyberpunk 2077's online mode well. Branching off of that, Night City's world has plenty of opportunities for social interaction between players. Considering how big roleplay mods have become in games like Grand Theft Auto Online, as well as other titles like Rust and Red Dead Redemption 2, Night City lends itself well to that framework as well. Not to mention CD Projekt Red could be the first developer to potentially implement officially supported roleplay functionality in an online open world experience like Cyberpunk 2077.
CD Projekt Red Has Bigger Fish to Fry, But There's Potential in CP2077 Online
Of course, unlike Grand Theft Auto Online's comparatively minimal issues, CD Projekt Red has a lot more issues to grind out for Cyberpunk 2077 first. For one thing, Cyberpunk 2077 was heavily marketed as a dedicated singleplayer experience. The significant issues that have plagued the game since launch are obviously priority one in the wake of Cyberpunk 2077's release, which is exactly why Cyberpunk 2077's multiplayer was initially delayed before the full release. Now that the game's post-launch DLC, patches, and next-gen upgrades are the sole items on CD Projekt Red's update roadmap for Cyberpunk 2077, multiplayer's release may be even further away.
That being said, assuming CD Projekt Red's development roadmap for 2021 solves most of the technical issues, multiplayer could reignite the game's popularity. Underneath all of Cyberpunk 2077's problems is a genuinely enjoyable game, to which the gameplay experience could easily transfer into a potential multiplayer mode. Whether that becomes something like Grand Theft Auto Online, or something like the roleplay mods created for it, there's plenty of potential for Cyberpunk 2077's multiplayer offering.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.