CD Projekt Red Quest Designer Patrick K. Mills noted in a recent Twitch interview that story content for Cyberpunk 2077 will be shorter than originally anticipated, in order to allow more players the chance to finish the game. While this may be a good thing for completionists, it may leave story-hungry gamers in a lurch.
Mills told CohhCarnage during a streaming exploration of Cyberpunk 2077, "We do know that the main story run in Cyberpunk 2077 is slightly shorter than The Witcher 3 because we got a lot of complaints about Witcher 3's main story just being too long." Numerous gamers gave up on The Witcher 3 long before reaching the end of the story, so cutting non-critical story information could improve the gaming experience for a wider range of players.
There are all kinds of gamers out there, one of the most recognizable being the completionist, who wants to get through every mission, score each achievement, collect every item and arrive at the end credits feeling like they accomplished all they set out to do. Then there are gamers who live for the story, who can't wait to dive deep into the plotline, characters, world and setting as they take their time exploring everything the game has to offer. There's no right or wrong way to play, but that doesn't always make it easy for developers to provide a balanced experience all gamers can agree on.
It's impossible to please everyone, but that doesn't stop game developers from trying their best to tick off all the boxes before releasing a new game, especially in a well-loved franchise. CD Projekt Red is working within the confines of its budget to offer the best possible gaming experience to its audience, by stepping back to take a look at what can be removed from the overall story without destroying the plot completely. This is one potential strategy for pleasing a wide variety of Cyberpunk 2077 players.
Of course, there is still a possibility that cutting back on story content won't be enough to fully please the completionist gamer. Stories need to be told and that takes time, so it's impossible to imagine whether gamers of that persuasion will still consider Cyberpunk 2077 too long when all is said and done.
On the other hand, going into the game knowing story elements were potentially removed or left unexplored could be a point of contention for the story-immersive gamer. As they wander through the world seeking experiences and connections, turning down dark alleyways and off twisted roads in search of adventure, they may find themselves looking for conclusions or deeper explorations that aren't actually there.
Missing links and unexplored avenues could potentially darken their overall experience and leave them feeling unsatisfied. They may even start looking for missing links and frayed story threads that were never intended to be there, which could lead to an influx of complaints opposite to those received about The Witcher 3 being too long.
There is hope, however, that CD Projekt Red has found a positive balance and that the majority of players will walk away from the overall experience satisfied.
Cyberpunk 2077 will be available on Nov. 19 for PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One. It will be available for Stadia by the end of 2020 and will be released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2021.