Ever since CyberPunk 2077 gameplay was unveiled for the world to witness, I’ve haven’t stopped thinking about how all of that amazingness would work in an online environment. For those of you who may or may not know, the developers have confirmed a while back that CyberPunk 2077 will have some sort of online features to increase it’s longevity, but what form that will take is still a mystery. So I thought I’d speculate on it.
Here’s what we know so far:
In November 2017, CEO Adam Kiciński confirmed in a interview with PC Gamer that online is necessary, or very recommended to a game if you wish to achieve a long-term success. He also says that there will be a certain online element related to Cyberpunk. A few months later, CD Projekt Red brings on multiplayer specialist studio Digital Scapes to help them work on CyberPunk 2077. These guys have been responsible for games such as Dying Light’s Be The Zombie, an invasion-based PvP mode, as well as other cloud-based tech for that game.
So it’s clear that CyberPunk WILL have some level of online aspect but to what degree is the million dollar question.
My first guess, and I’m sure it’s also what everyone wants as well, is a full blown GTA Online-like online experience. I feel like it would be amazing to see everyone’s characters roam around Night City, doing mission, partake in activity and just go crazy. Of course, if that’s the case then it’s natural for us to not see that mode released along with the base game. CD Projekt Red values a complete game and creating a high quality story, so I don’t see them risk lowering that standard just to add a multiplayer component of such magnitude in their workstream. I’m not saying it’s not possible, but that we shouldn’t expect to hop in online when the game comes out anytime soon.
My other speculation for how the online might work, is by the Ubisoft Watchdogs blueprint. What I mean by this is well, if you’ve played Watchdogs 2 online’s components, you can visit another players world briefly to try and kill them. So it’s another form that CyberPunk’s online could take shape and it seems the more likely of the two. I guess how that could work is you can transfer your digital consciousness to another players world and try to take them out for a reward.
Another form it could take is a co-op type of multiplayer in which two or more players can team up and inhabit the host’s world to take on various missions that would otherwise be difficult of one person to tackle on their own. This also seems more likely if you consider the company that’s helping CD Projekt Red is creating a multiplayer environment. Digital Scapes is already familiar with that kind of multiple archetype so it wouldn’t be too difficult to translate that into a game like CyberPunk 2077.
If you asked me what I wanted, it’s obviously would be the GTA Online route. I put 200 hours into GTA Online, and that’s without even touching the story mode, something CD Projekt probably doesn’t wanna hear me say. Anyways, whatever the online eneds up beings, I’m already hyped up to play the game. Let me know your ideal CyberPunk 2077 online mode?
