The third anniversary of the release of the Cyberpunk 2077 add-on has forced the developer to take a look back and share the inner workings of development. The game’s creators admit that the massive failure of the initial version forced the studio to completely restructure its workflow, moving away from an outdated management model and toward multidisciplinary teams. This approach allowed us to release one of the most compelling new additions in the history of the industry.
According to game director Pavel Sasko, the team was inspired by classic spy movies when creating the story about the closed Dogtown area. This list includes Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy! ”, “Casino Royale”, “The Devil” and even “Ocean’s Eleven” and other movies. It’s these films that set the overall tone for the Idris Elba-starring spy thriller.
The developers paid special attention to the moral choice between Jay and Reed at the end of the story. The writers deliberately made the two characters conflicted, making players truly question their reliability. Unlike the original game, where the consequences of choices were sometimes invisible, in Phantom Free the authors make the forks bright and tangible.
Despite 15 million copies sold and critical acclaim from fans, the studio doesn’t believe the expansion’s success will completely overshadow the base game’s disastrous launch in 2020. Still, the experience was a valuable lesson for the team, which is currently developing a full-scale sequel to the series.