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Cyberpunk 2077's Developer CD Projekt RED Is 'Reconsidering' Its Standalone Multiplayer Mode

Joseph Bradford Updated: Posted:
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Cyberpunk 2077 fans eager to check out the world of Night City with a friend might be in for some bad news this morning, as a new strategy call with developer CD Projekt RED is hinting that the standalone multiplayer mode won't be coming after all.

CDPR in its strategy call yesterday stated that it was "reconsidering" its move to create a standalone multiplayer version of Cyberpunk 2077. Instead, the team is shifting how it's approaching multiplayer in the long term, hoping to "one day" have multiplayer modes in all of their franchises. 

In a video on the official CD Projekt RED YouTube Channel, CEO Adam Kicinski stated that the studio is aiming for a "more systematic and agile approach," and that they would be reconsidering their multiplayer Cyberpunk game. And it makes sense: Cyberpunk 2077 launched with myraid issues, some of which have only recently been addressed in their large 1.2 patch. Performance for many people, especially base console players, was subpar, and even on PC, which was arguably the best version of the lot, suffered critical issues for many players. 

"Previously we hinted that our next triple-A would be a multiplayer Cyberpunk game," Kicinski stated in the video. "But we have decided to reconsider this now. 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.”

Kicinski stressed, however, that the team is committed to making single-player, story-driven games and any efforts to bring multiplayer modes to their franchises doesn't change that.

"Let's stress this here: CD Projekt RED makes single-player, story-driven AAA RPGS. That is not changing. What is changing is our long-term approach to online."

The team will instead work on building the infrastructure aimed at bringing multiplayer to their titles, including existing ones. Kicinski stresses that this approach is meant to ensure the team is "properly prepared to implement online elements into [CDPR's] games where they make sense." 

"We don't want to go overboard or lose our single-player DNA. We want to take thoughtful steps to build robust online capabilities."

Up in the air is the inclusion of any multiplayer mode for Cyberpunk 2077 at this point. Whether the RPG will get an online mode now that the standalone version seems off the table is still yet to be determined. What we do know, though, based on the video is that the team is shifting to a more agile approach, which could see Cyberpunk and Witcher games being worked on simultaneously.

The video explains a shift to a more parallel development, as well as a shift to how its games are marketed with shorter marketing cycles. This seems to be in direct response to the 8-year long hype marketing cycle that blew Cyberpunk's expectations into the stratosphere. In fact, CDPR cites lessons learned from past marketing campaigns as an influence on this decision.


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Joseph Bradford

Joseph has been writing or podcasting about games in some form since about 2012. Having written for multiple major outlets such as IGN, Playboy, and more, Joseph started writing for MMORPG in 2015. When he's not writing or talking about games, you can typically find him hanging out with his 10-year old or playing Magic: The Gathering with his family. Also, don't get him started on why Balrogs *don't* have wings. You can find him on Twitter @LotrLore