If you are like me, you can’t wait for CD Projekt Red’s new game Cyberpunk 2077, which was originally intended to launch in just a few days. It seems that the Polish publisher is taking this time to make sure that the game is complete and polished when it actually launches this September. Considering that the game may have more content than their previous game The Witcher III: Wild Hunt and that some of the developers claim that Cyberpunk is better game, it makes sense that they want to make sure the final product is as good as it can be.
We recently learned that CDPR will be taking their time with the release of DLC as well, following the same model as they did with The Witcher III, meaning that there will be periodic free DLC updates, as well as some sizable expansions later on. In addition, they are planning a multiplayer mode, which will likely release about two years after the base game.
Of course, the timing of the game’s release is a bit precarious, seeing it will likely be one of the last major games releases for the current generation of consoles: the Xbox One and PS4. Both Sony and Microsoft plan on making all current-gen games playable on the PS5 and Series X, but a game built for the current generation will not be able to take full advantage of the massive graphics and processing speed upgrades that come with the next-gen consoles. This means that the basic version of the game is the one that will be available in September, while an upgraded version will be available on next-gen. CD Projekt SVP of business development Michal Nowakowski explained this recently.
When it comes to a proper, full-blown next-gen version, that’s going to come later, we haven’t announced when…
He elaborated that they agree with Microsoft’s new philosophy that gamers should never have to buy the same game twice just because their hardware has upgraded, so the upgraded version of the game will be available to players who buy the Xbox One version for free on the Series X.
This whole explanation is a bit confusing, but essentially anyone who has the Xbox One version of the game will be able to play that same version on Series X as soon as it launches (and it will likely run a bit smoother and look better just on the basis of the improved hardware) and further down the line after CD Projekt Red fully optimizes the game for next-gen, an upgrade to this new version will be available for free.
There has been no confirmation of how this will work on PS5, though it is likely to be similar… however, through this next-gen release process, it seems that Microsoft is adopting much more player-oriented mentality when it comes to upgrades and general transparency, while just about all we know about the PS5 is that it has a crazy new controller and that its internals aren’t quite as impressive as those in the Series X.
Regardless, Cyberpunk is sure to be amazing on both current consoles, and even better on both next-gen versions.