Creating a battle with Chimera Tanks in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Freedom is a lot harder than players think. According to developer CD Projekt Red, it took about two years of constant rework to bring this massive battle to its ideal state.
Game director Gabe Amatangelo and creative director Igor Sarzhinsky talked about this on the AnswerRED podcast. Chimera is the intersection of multiple directions: gameplay, storytelling, art, and world design. Developers assemble the scene step by step, trying to strike the right balance. Either the combat becomes too mechanical and then it starts to overwhelm the plot, or it becomes more of a showcase of the artist’s abilities.
Art director Pavel Melnichuk said that the team has completely changed the Chimera’s equipment and its weapons several times. Developers even sent each other videos of various military equipment to choose the right sounds and parts for the vehicles. It’s especially important to get impressive visual moments, as the minigun’s deafening roar can really scare players.
According to Melnichuk, Chimera was remade about four times. Sarzhensky even called the tank one of the most expensive art assets the studio has ever created. It seems that the splendor of this conference does require considerable sacrifice─mainly developer work time.
