Cyberpunk 2077 will dwarf The Witcher 3, according to developer

By Will Fulton October 6, 2015

Cyberpunk 2077 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Among the many reasons that The Witcher 3 was widely praised when it released earlier this year was its massive scope. With “open world” games in ascendance, The Witcher 3 confidently bestrode the globe like the colossus it was and is, with its landmass clocking in at over 35 times larger than the more linear The Witcher 2, and 20 percent larger than the standard gaming world measuring stick, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. And apparently the developer’s next project, the sci-fi RPG Cyberpunk 2077, will be even bigger.

CD Projekt Red visual effects artist Jose Teixeira told MCV that “Cyberpunk is far bigger than anything else that CD Projekt Red has done before. Far, far bigger. We’re really stepping into the unknown in terms of complexity and size and problems we encounter.”

The learning experience of creating The Witcher 3, which was the studio’s first attempt at a truly open world, has directly informed and greatly focused its ability to create the world of Cyberpunk 2077.

“The Witcher helped Cyberpunk quite a bit, because the game got so big and so complex that it really taught us,” Teixeira explained. “We really didn’t know what was going to happen. If anything, working on The Witcher 3 was a really good and often brutal learning experience. Cyberpunk is going to benefit greatly from it. I can almost guarantee it.”

Cyberpunk 2077 is set in a dystopian future not unlike that in the Deus Ex series, where human augmentation has spread rapidly and has destabilized many elements of society. It is based on Mike Pondsmith’s pen-and-paper RPG, Cyberpunk 2020, which was first published in the late 80s. After nearly a decade of swords and sorcery in the world of The Witcher, the developers are probably eager for the change of pace to Cyberpunk’s near-future science fiction.

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Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…

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God of War Ragnarok shares a key strength with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Hafgufa flies away in God of War Ragnarok.

God of War Ragnarok’s main story is memorable, but some of the smaller moments are what have stuck with me most since completing it. I'm not just talking about its moments of quiet, but its optional Favors as well. These sidequests can be entirely ignored, but skipping them is a mistake as they contain some of the game’s best scenes. It's a trait that God of War Ragnarok shares with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, one of the best RPGs of the last decade.
In some large RPGs, sidequests can often boil down to boring fetch quests, or they simply may not have as much polish put into their writing. As a result, they can feel like content bloat that does more harm than good to the game’s pacing. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and God of War Ragnarok avoid this problem by elevating these sidequests, making the entire adventure feel more cohesive and ensuring that the small moments stick out as some of the best.
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Others, like Return to Crookback Bog, turn what could just be some fun supernatural fights into a chilling tale about abuse and broken families. While The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s main narrative is strong, these side moments are what make it a game that sticks with you years after release. I can already tell the same will be true of God of War Ragnarok, as some of my favorite missions in the game are entirely optional Favors.
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Geralt fighting enemy in The Witcher 3.

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Gaming

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The Witcher

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