CD Projekt Red is getting ready to finally release Cyberpunk 2077, which will launch on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on December 10, but the game’s multiplayer expansion won’t be added for quite a while, as it reportedly won’t be ready to go until sometime in 2022.
When asked about Cyberpunk 2077’s multiplayer during a recent earnings call, CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Kiciński didn’t give a release window, but he did say that they might reveal more regarding the project in the first quarter of 2021. Also, CDPR’s CEO said that the game’s multiplayer won’t be an add-on, but instead, it’ll be its own AAA release.
It’s a separate dedicated production, a big production,” said CD Projekt Red’s CEO regarding Cyberpunk’s multiplayer. “And we plan — we think about it as a standalone product. Obviously, it’s not entirely standalone as it comes from the universe of Cyberpunk and is very much related to the concept of single-player Cyberpunk.
“It’s another independent production and an independent team of people works on it. I said already we are not focusing right now on talking too much about other future products, products that are to be released after Cyberpunk. So please be with us in the first quarter of next year when we plan to share some strategy update. And I believe Cyberpunk multiplayer will be possible.”
According to data-driven research and analytics firm called M-Science, CD Projekt Red could try to use Grand Theft Auto V’s multiplayer model for Cyberpunk 2077. Of course, GTA V’s online-based mode could’ve been its own AAA release, but it was a free add-on to the game. However, while it’s a free add-on, it has generated a ton of revenue for developer Rockstar Games.
“Based on company commentary, the multiplayer model sounds similar to that of GTA Online, with a series of free DLCs and expansions,” said the analytics firm.
“While the paid-DLC model can be successful, and makes sense for a title such as Cyberpunk, we view multiplayer as the larger opportunity long-term and the best opportunity to create a robust, multi-year recurrent consumer spend model for the franchise.”
For now, Cyberpunk 2077 is on schedule to be released on December 10 for the PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One, and a full-blown, more robust version of the game will be released sometime next year for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.
