Cyberpunk 2077, the next ambitious RPG from The Witcher 3 developer CD Projekt Red, has been doing the rounds at the Gamescom 2019 expo this week in Cologne, Germany, not least by making a splash with the announcement that it'll be launching on Google Stadia next year.
The studio itself has been presenting behind-closed-doors demos to press at the show itself, and recent conversations with some of the team have offered more clarity about the previously teased Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer modes in the works for the game, which takes place in a dystopian urban jungle of the future.
New Cyberpunk 2077 Gamescom 2019 screenshots give you a fresh look at Night City life
Speaking to Eurogamer, CD Projekt Red’s Marthe Jonkers explained that multiplayer isn't guaranteed for Cyberpunk 2077, as the studio is prioritising the core singleplayer experience before anything else, especially as that April 16, 2020 release date looms.
"We are doing R&D [Research & Development] into multiplayer", says Jonkers, "but we’re focusing on single-player experience, and that’s what you’ll get in 2020. It doesn’t mean we’re saying no multiplayer, but it doesn’t mean we’re saying yes either. It’s still an R&D phase."
"If you add multiplayer functions it has to be right. Immersion is super important for us and we have to make sure everything fits together. The singleplayer experience, it all fits together. We’re not just going to slap some [multiplayer] feature in and that’ll be it. It’s possible if it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t fit."
To some, the tenuous future of Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer won't be much cause for concern, given the strengths of everything we've seen from the singleplayer experience so far. That said, we have to admit that the idea of running around Night City with a friend sounds amazing, so here's hoping CD can figure the online component out in time for launch day, or even beyond.
For more, check out the biggest new games of 2019 still on the way, or watch our Release Radar video below for a guide to everything else out this week.
