Cyberpunk 2077, long in development and now tantalizingly close to release, comes with enormous expectation. Polish developer and publisher CD Projekt Red enjoys a reputation that few in the industry can compete with: boundless ambition and creativity with an uncompromising dedication to its playerbase. Anyone who has read the ‘thank you’ note included in physical copies ofThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntwill knowthat CD Projekt’s gamesare as much a labor of love as they are an exercise in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in a video game.
The hype forCyberpunk 2077, arguably the year’s most hotly anticipated release, has been palpable for some time. Even before its E3 2018 trailer gave fans a first taste of Night City, CD Projekt’s reputation for immensely detailed world design has seemed an ideal fit for the hyperactive themes, color palettes, and lore established by theCyberpunktabletop series. Its track record of delivery, such as the wealth of free DLC having been released forThe Witcher 3being one example, has summarily cemented the feeling thatCyberpunk 2077is in ideal hands.
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CD Projekt Red: In With The New
Cyberpunk 2077is a rarity on the current triple-A scene: an all-new IP from a major studio. The biggest releases of the past few years have, largely, been continuations or reboots of long-established series.God of War,Spider-Man,Resident Evil2, andRed Dead Redemption 2all met deserved acclaim and delivered novel experiences, but they all lacked a quality thatCyberpunk’s marketing has cleverly focused on.Cyberpunk 2077is something gamers haven’t seen before. Thelikes ofThe Outer Worldshave wowed gamers with a fresh spin on a classic formula, butCyberpunkby comparison looks driven by CD Projekt’s desire to be wholly original.
Finely honed storytelling, dialogue, and questlines are the developer’s bread and butter, but shooter mechanics are fresh waters for the studio. Considering the fact that CD Projekt Red hasn’t developed an FPS before, or indeed anything else from outsideThe Witcherseries, an enormous amount of good faith is being placed in its abilities to deliver a shooting experience on par with the quality deliveredacrossThe Witcher’s trilogy.
In this, the sparsely delivered marketing strategy comes with the humility of a developer that’s doing something new, not just for the industry but for itself. Its trailers at E3 2018 and E3 2019, shown using the in-game engine, were incredible examples of how to subtly and concisely deliver a ton of exposition that pointed to one conclusion: this is a world begging for players to involve themselves in.CD Projekt didn’t rushto show its hand, and the benefits are clear.
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After setting the scene with tightly directedshots of Night Cityand some of the game’s key figures, the 48-minute gameplay demonstration focused not on how the game looks to play, but on how each of its systems work together to build a strong, wider whole. Variety in decision-making, gunplay, driving, preparation, negotiation, and loot mechanics were all on display as incidental parts of the experience - the focus is always on how the game’s systems are cohesive and natural to use.
Cyberpunk 2077: Clarity of Vision
The old maxim that it’s better to show rather than tell has been played to great effect with this campaign: hooking fans with the concept, drip-feeding details of how it will all come together, and then explaining its systems whilst showing how organically they fit together. WhileCyberpunk 2077has the hype-generating benefitof being a new IP, CD Projekt has been masterful in how it has showcased its offering. A familiar trend in game trailers, most recently seen during the Inside Xbox event that showcased titles coming to Xbox Series X, is the sense that they don’t depict what the game on display is or involves.
Cyberpunk 2077hasn’t suffered that lack of clarity, not even in its first showing at E3 2018, and CD Projekt has adhered closely to the notion thatless can be so much more. Even without the weight of CD Projekt Red’s reputation behind it, the focus on showing players why they should be interested (rather than telling them that they should be) has done wonders forCyberpunk’s hype machine. Roll on September.
Cyberpunk 2077is due for release on September 17th 2020 for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
