Multiplayer being 'considered' for Cyberpunk 2077 sequel says CD Projekt

CD Projekt has confirmed it's «considering» multiplayer elements for its Cyberpunk 2077 sequel during an update on the studio's current development plans — which also included word it's aiming to start the production phase for its next Witcher game this year.

That's according to CD Projekt CEO Adam Badowski, who touched on the Cyberpunk 2077 follow-up — officially codenamed Orion — in an interview with Reuters. While Badowski «would not discuss details» about potential multiplayer elements for the sci-fi sequel beyond confirming the studio was «considering» them, it's an interesting admission all the same.

CD Projekt did, of course, have major multiplayer plans for the original Cyberpunk 2077; it initially announced it would be adding multiplayer to the game sometime after release, but by the time 2020 rolled around, Cyberpunk's multiplayer had ballooned into a standalone «triple-A» title. Ultimately, those ambitious plans were scaled back significantly following Cyberpunk's disastrous launch, finally fizzling out altogether — but with player sentiment around the franchise now considerably higher in light of last year's acclaimed Phantom Liberty expansion, it's notable the studio could be looking to revive its multiplayer ambitions for a second outing.

Digital Foundry takes a deep dive into Phantom Liberty's visuals in their roundtable.

Still, with CD Projekt's Cyberpunk 2077 sequel currently in the «conceptual phase» according to Badowski, nothing is set in stone — and the bulk of the studio's attention is elsewhere anyway, as preparatory work on the next Witcher game continues. Last October, CD Projekt confirmed around 330 developers were involved with the new Witcher title — codenamed Polaris — and Badowski has now reiterated the studio would «like to have around 400 people working on the project by the middle of the year». Reuters notes Polaris' production phase is yet to begin, but says CD Projekt is aiming for it to start this year.

While the studio's next