“We Want to Innovate, We Want to Push the Bar Higher”
Cyberpunk 2077 was revealed five years after the game’s initial announcement, and it riled the fanbase. Considering our excitement for what the Witcher developers have in store, one can only imagine their relief in finally talking about it. CD Projekt RED’s co-founder, Marcin Iwiński, has been making the rounds and making mention of what the wait has been like for the team over in Warsaw.
In an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, Iwiński spoke at length about Cyberpunk 2077 development and the reception at E3. “A lot of blood, sweat and tears has gone into this game,” he said. “It’s a very important moment for us because we’re finally able to proudly show the world what we’ve been working on. We’ve obviously been very secretive about it.”
CDPR managed five years without leaking any assets to the public, which nothing short of a miracle in this day and age. As somebody who’s covered leak after leak about Cyberpunk 2077 over the past year, I can say none of it was remotely comparable to what was finally shown at E3 2018. For a deep dive, you can visit Paul Sullivan’s write-up on the highly praised demo. When asked if peak expectations worried the studio, Iwiński responded: “We always are. We need to remain humble. Regardless of how successful our last game was, the next game is the one that we’ll be proving ourselves with.”
Despite the resounding success of Witcher 3, CD Projekt RED isn’t content to let their previous work slip future projects under the rug. “That’s how people will judge us,” Iwiński continued. “The Witcher 3 was amazing – I think I can objectively say that – but if we don’t deliver on the promise and the really high expectations against Cyberpunk, everyone will be like, ‘hey, what’s up with you guys? Are you crap now?’
“It’s always quality and ambition driving us forward. We don’t want to just do another sequel, or a game based on the same mechanics. We want to innovate, we want to push the bar higher. That’s what we’re trying to do with Cyberpunk and that’s why it’s taking so much time.”
Following the hack at E3, a mountain of Cyberpunk 2077 data has landed on our laps. We learned about the improved dialogue system, the CPU that actually ran the demo, and why development is taking so long. Earlier this year, the CEO of CD Projekt RED confirmed that the game was being designed for this generation and the next generation of consoles. Hearsay coming out of the expo suggest the devs are sticking to that plan. Expect to be updated accordingly.
*beep*
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) January 10, 2018
SOURCE: GamesIndustry.biz