CD Projekt are masters when it comes to the single-player experience, but with the popularity of multiplayer extending a game’s shelf life, it can’t be ignored. Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer will eventually be added post-release and it’s an ambitious move by CD Projekt. With another team working on the multi-player mode/modes, CD Projekt has remained tight-lipped about the multiplayer details. So what should we expect or even want from the multiplayer experience?
Co-op Essential
I think we can all agree that the primary multiplayer mode that should be added is co-op. If CD Projekt limited multiplayer to one other player that would be enough for most. I can’t think of a more enjoyable way to experience the campaign and Night City. Sharing memories of a great game can be extremely rewarding.
Next would be to open up the world for a shared experience with added larger mission updates for team-ups with smaller groups. Taking on missions across the city would feel really rewarding with friends. These were updated/added on a reasonably regular basis with social areas to mingle between updates. While waiting for new content to drop, they need to make sure there are challenges that are always on-going to give players something to do. There could always be bars and social areas but the novelty of those will probably wear off quickly unless you’re wanting to roleplay on a server.
To PvP or Not to PvP? That is the question
PvP is not necessarily on my list for multiplayer but it could be utilised in more interesting ways such as bounty hunting an individual over a set time interval. The idea of full-on PvP zones with kill counts does not appeal one bit and I think it would feel out of place in the game world. There are plenty of games on the market if you get your kicks from racking up kills.
On the other hand, PvP could be exciting if there were attack/defend type missions. For example, one team has to defuse a bomb from a building while the other has to make sure it goes off. This would only work if the play area was suitably large and allowed each team to utilise the different character skill sets to encourage real team play. Games such as Quake Wars: Enemy Territory managed to do that to perfection. The problem with this would be the balance between sides and pre-made characters would have to be used. This could put some players off. If you’ve spent a long time developing your character, you would want to use him/her right? On the other hand, like Enemy Territory, you could have medics, hackers, grunts which would fit with the game rather nicely.
Not This
There is one mode I definitely do NOT want to see appear in multiplayer. Battle Royale. There have been too many failures in the Battle Royale market space, and let’s face it, the mode would just not feel right in Night City. It would feel shoehorned in to please what would probably be a smallish audience.
It feels like we are jumping the gun talking about multiplayer at this point. While we know it’s coming, it could come quite a while after release as CD Projekt is wanting to complete all single player content first. That could include any DLC that follows release. If the single-player game can be played cooperatively eventually, that will please a large part of the core audience. Hopefully, CD Projekt will be using that as a starting point when developing any form of multiplayer.
We’ll have a better idea of how multiplayer could work when the game releases. When we start to become more au fait with Night City, the classes, and the abundance of characters we’ll encounter. There’s a lot to mull over and I don’t envy the team that has to design and develop a compelling multiplayer experience. As members of the community, we’ll hopefully be able to help them shape that experience with sensible ideas and critique.
Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer could be a thing of beauty and we’re all eager to see how it pans out.
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