Warning: Spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077 lie forward.
Cyberpunk 2077‘s narrative actually kicks into gear when, after a job gone incorrect, metal-infused merc protagonist V realises they’re now dwelling within the shadow of a Keanu Reeves-shaped clock. Regardless of this, you are free to whereas away hours doing one million issues aside from confronting your pressing mortality drawback. It is one thing even CD Projekt themselves have joked about.
Previous to the heist going askew, nevertheless, there’s a gap part during which V’s working their manner up via the ranks of Evening Metropolis’s underworld alongside Jackie Welles. This bit can final some time in the event you’re joyful to run after each facet quest proper out of the gate, however a variety of people breeze via it, eager to be whisked into exploring all the sport’s metropolis as quickly because the motion performs out within the cutscene which fast-forwards via more often than not Jackie and V spend making a reputation for themselves. So, in hindsight, would CD Projekt have benefitted from having this part of the primary narrative run a bit longer? Within the eyes of Cyberpunk 2 inventive director Igor Sarzynski, the answer is a agency no, a view he is defined in a flurry of posts.
Writing on BlueSky (as noticed by FRVR), Sarzynski addressed the query of extending the pre-heist act head on, arguing that it would not make for a greater expertise and is “like saying we should always spend extra time on Tatooine with farmer Luke earlier than he obtained concerned with all this Jedi stuff”. Random shade thrown at uncle Owen and aunt Beru apart, Sarzynski’s argument for this part working higher as is revolves round the concept the primary perceived good thing about giving people extra time to bond with Jackie earlier than, er, that factor occurs to him at Konpeki Plaza would not outweigh the drawbacks of a extra drawn-out arc previous to the deadly twist in V’s story.
So would extending Act 1 (earlier than the heist) in CP77 make the sport higher?
1. No it would not. It is like saying we should always spend extra time on Tatooine with farmer Luke earlier than he obtained concerned with all this Jedi stuff.
(1/3)— igor.sarzynski (@srznsk.bsky.social) 5 January 2026 at 13:41
“The motivation/objective on this part of the sport is fairly imprecise – ‘get to the highest’ – which, extended and with out stakes or strain would end in meandering, unfocused expertise,” the developer argued, acknowledging that it’s potential at present to spend as much as 20 hours or so simply exploring Watson in the course of the pre-heist arc. As as to if the part as is provides sufficient time to develop near Jackie and make what occurs to him bear the emotional weight it is designed to, Sarzynski admitted that’ll range from participant to participant, however added: “All issues thought of, I feel we struck a superb stability.”
The beginning of Cyberpunk typically feeling like a little bit of a rush to get all the pieces in place for the primary narrative arc to essentially kick off with the introduction of Silverhand and the relic’s lengthy been a facet of it that I’ve seen not essentially as dangerous, however actually one thing that might doubtlessly have been improved. The cutscene montage of early jobs undoubtedly made it more durable initially for me to totally purchase into the weather of the story surrounding clawing your technique to Evening Metropolis legend standing. Ostensibly watching another person blast via the beginning of that path in sped up style takes you out of it a bit, and you do not get as full an image of day-to-day life with Jackie as you in any other case may.
There’s additionally the matter of the sport unfolding in a fashion which inundates you with facet stuff which basically seems like pushing snooz on a risk of demise which is meant to really feel inescapable and crushing from act two onwards. Sarzynski acknowledged that right here, writing: “If I have been to do it once more, I might contextualize gigs and sidequests as escaping demise otherwise – by creating your personal legend. And possibly gate a selected ending behind doing sufficient facet content material.” So, probably a lesson which could possibly be utilized in some style to Cyberpunk 2 there.
Then again, as somebody who feels Crimson Lifeless Redemption 2 – a sport which additionally attracts loads of good from its basic dedication to taking the prolonged and massively detailed route – begin to drag a bit as its Western epic story trots from the mid-game in direction of the top, I can very a lot see Sarzynski’s level about act one.
Each approaches could make for excellent video games. In my e book, an even bigger difficulty within the base model of Cyberpunk arguably suffers as a result of is Johnny Silverhand’s common presence and commentary typically feeling like it might undercut that sport’s capability to not fill moments of silence that’d be good for Bladerunner-style broody contemplation with chatter that won’t add a lot to proceedings. That is a stability I felt was nailed rather a lot higher in Phantom Liberty, just by having Songbird minimize in as a second voice in your head and supply some selection in exterior perspective on occasions.
As for Jackie, it’s kind of of a chilly technique to put it given his destiny, however I feel he is obtained simply sufficient of a presence to fulfil his narrative position of early-game buddy minimize down in his prime.
