Cyberpunk 2 lead says extending Cyberpunk 2077 Act 1 would be like having "more time on Tattooine with farmer Luke" in Star Wars: "I think we struck a good balance"

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Igor Sarzyński believes CD Projekt Red approached this stretch properly

Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077
(Image credit: CD Projekt RED)

When it comes to games the size of Cyberpunk 2077, there's always a litany of possible changes that could potentially improve the experience for a certain subset of players. One such suggestion – making the first act longer – has been shot down by the creative director of Cyberpunk 2, because it would damage the pacing, no matter how much we'd like more time with Jackie.

In a thread on Bluesky, Igor Sarzyński, cinematic director on Cyberpunk 2077 and creative director for the follow-up, addresses whether extending Act 1 pre-heist would lead to a "better game." He believes not, unequivocally, and breaks down his logic across multiple points. "It's like saying we should spend more time on Tatooine with farmer Luke before he got involved with all this Jedi stuff," he starts.

So would extending Act 1 (before the heist) in CP77 make the game better? 1. No it wouldn't. It's like saying we should spend more time on Tatooine with farmer Luke before he got involved with all this Jedi stuff. (1/3)

— @srznsk.bsky.social (@srznsk.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-01-06T17:29:39.979Z

"It's an open world game, some manage to squeeze 20 hours out of Watson," Sarzyński continues. "Pick your own pace."

This, to me at least, is where a lot of the endearment towards Jackie comes from. He's your partner during some pivotal early-game sequences, creating a sense of camaraderie you can strain for every last second if you'd like.

The next point feeds into that, as Sarzyński notes your motivation "is pretty vague" by design, and too long in that headspace would lead to a "meandering, unfocused experience." He adds there's a divide in the audience around if we get enough time for Jackie to seem consequential. "For some it is, for some it isn't," he says. "All things considered I think we struck a good balance."

I would tend to agree, personally, but I understand why someone wouldn't either. Frankly, I enjoy seeing a developer justify the creative decisions so openly – it makes me that much more excited for Cyberpunk 2, whenever it comes out.

No, Cyberpunk 2077's elevators aren't just loading screens in disguise, says lead: "The engine is a miracle. I will not accept slander."

Anthony McGlynn
Anthony McGlynn
Contributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

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