A new earnings call from Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher series developers CD Projekt Red has given us a few insights into goings-on at the Polish studio, and where its sights are set when it comes to the 2020-due cyberpunk adventure.
Firstly, and sorta despite previous comments from company CEO Adam Kiciński, it seems that Cyberpunk 2077 is focused on current-gen consoles and PCs, rather than aiming for compatibility with Sony's PlayStation 5 and Xbox's 'Project Scarlett', when they launch at the end of 2020. They're not saying the game won't eventually be playable on said systems, but right now, it's not a priority, so reports US Gamer.
Going deeper, VGC has a translation of the comments in question, as said by CDPR board member Michał Nowakowski:
"Of course we do have insight into what's around the corner, into what's happening with [new consoles from] PlayStation and Xbox, and we are watching it closely, and one may probably safely assume that at some point we may do something with next-gen. However, we cannot really be very specific what that may be, when exactly that may be. I will only safely assume that it's definitely not going to be around the launch timeframe of these consoles, so I think that's pretty much it."
The call also addressed the always-thorny issue of microtransactions, as picked up by Rock Paper Shotgun. The site reports that, originally, the earnings call was mistranslated from its native Polish as stating that the studio "planned to implement a well thought-out micropayment system" for Cyberpunk 2077. That's since been corrected, and a statement on the issue on CDPR's own site, regarding its accounting, reads:
"As far as the monetisation of multiplayer for Cyberpunk 2077 is concerned, we believe right now it's definitely too early to share any details on that or give guidance; the project is in a relatively early stage. We keep experimenting - that's our first multiplayer game. We check various options and possibilities, and it's definitely not the time to point you to a specific direction on that. Of course you can expect that we won't change our general policy towards 'deals with gamers' so I expect wise monetisation and - always - value for money."
Reminder that Cyberpunk 2077 isn't CDPR's first multiplayer title - that'll be Gwent. But nevermind.
Additionally, the call addressed the recent announcement of Half-Life: Alyx, a VR title set within the Half-Life universe, and the first release in the series since 2007's Half-Life 2: Episode 2. Alyx is due in March - we haven't got an exact date, yet. Cyberpunk 2077 comes out on April 16th. They're going to be only weeks apart, then - but CDPR doesn't see Alyx compromising the appeal and commercial potential of 2077.
"Of course we've seen the Half-Life VR announcement," the call stated, as reported by Gamespot. "I think it was a surprise for everybody, [but] VR remains an extremely niche-y niche of the market. It's very, very small."
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The comment continued: "This is probably a big effort for them (Valve) to try to expand that niche. That niche is very, very, very - and I could add a few verys here - small. So, from the market perspective, are we afraid? No. It is a very different niche."
Gotta love those niches. But will you be loving Cyberpunk 2077? April can't come soon enough, frankly.
Featured Image Credit: CD Projekt RedTopics: Half-Life, Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red