Developers from CD Projekt RED once again reminded the industry why their role-playing games are loved. Pawel Sasko, who contributed to the cult hit The Witcher 3 and the sci-fi action game Cyberpunk 2077 and is now deputy director of the sequel, codenamed Orion (or simply Cyberpunk 2), detailed the studio’s inner workings. The Poles focus on content that other publishers typically cut to save money. Therefore, this approach will not change in the upcoming new releases.
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Why were the side quests in Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 so great?
The open secret turned out to be simple: the developers initially abandoned the idea of dividing missions into “main” and “junk.” CD Projekt RED allocates the same budgets and timeframes for the production of secondary stories, and attracts top specialists to the work. At the same time, the writers have a free hand. The team isn’t constrained by the central plot, allowing them to realize the wildest ideas.
Secondary content in the Polish studio’s projects has always been a mandatory quality standard, not a nice bonus to pad out the running time. Gamers still remember these stories. Fans most often cite the following as examples of ideal narrative:
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“The Land of a Thousand Tales” is an iconic illusionary location from the massive “Blood and Wine” expansion for W3.
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The Night City Residents’ Quests are multi-layered personal stories of key characters in Cyberpunk 2077, radically changing the perception of the ending.
What can players expect from The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2?
For fans eagerly awaiting the release of The Witcher 4 and the continuation of the cyberpunk franchise, this is a powerful positive indicator. If CD Projekt RED’s development philosophy stands the test of time, new titles will once again disrupt the industry. Instead of dull grinding and collecting collectibles for the sake of it, gamers will experience full, complex storylines. It’s precisely this obsessive attention to detail that has allowed Polish RPGs to maintain their genre leadership for years, outperforming their competitors in terms of audience engagement.
