CD Projekt Red has, once again, stated its intent to bring multiplayer features to both Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher, in some capacity.
As reported by VGC, the topic was brought up during one of the company’s investor Q&A sessions on Monday, November 29. Talking to investors, CD Projekt President Adam Kicinski noted, “We are planning to add multiplayer functionality in the future to both franchises, including Cyberpunk, gradually.”
He was quick to iterate that CD Projekt remains single-player focused, but the studio is re-evaluating the way it approaches online functionality moving forward.
“We are not revealing which franchise will get the first multiplayer functionalities but the first attempt will be something we can learn from and then add more and more, so step by step we want to open doors to multiplayer, but adding some multiplayer activities gradually,” said Kicinski.
By all accounts, it sounds like CD Projekt is interested in introducing online elements, and not just the typical online multiplayer you might see. To highlight this, during the meeting, Kicinski said, “We want to take thoughtful steps to build robust online capabilities.”
CD Projekt’s plans for Cyberpunk 2077 have changed significantly since the game’s release. Originally, a multiplayer follow-up was going to happen, but as of March 2021, Kicinski confirmed that was canceled. All of the game’s updates have been pushed into 2022 as well, including any forthcoming patches. The next-gen versions of Cyberpunk 2077, as well as a planned expansion, are expected to arrive sometime in 2022. CD Projekt also recently released an updated roadmap for the game, which you can see on the official website.
With The Witcher, on the other hand, the next update coming is the next-gen versions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which were also recently delayed into 2022. The series has technically already seen multiplayer implemented with Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, an online card-battler that was first released in 2016, and has seen consistent updates and changes ever since.
