The original vision of Cyberpunk 2 is already evolving beyond what its director had in mind, though it sounds like it’s been to the benefit of the dystopian RPG.
In a new blog post on CD Projekt Red’s website, Gabe Amatangelo discusses his views on game development. In short, while he is in charge and ultimately responsible, he doesn’t want to create bottlenecks by having to approve every decision, which means trusting the team he’s building around him.
“I had the idea of Cyberpunk 2 in the beginning, but it evolves as I involve more people,” he says. “And it evolves as I empower the team and individuals within them to contribute. It becomes something else, right? It becomes this thing that I’ve shepherded, but it’s ultimately a reflection of the team’s hearts and souls. And I look forward to sharing that.”
Part of that involves defining what the cyberpunk genre is within itself. For Amatangelo, “It’s my childhood,” because “questioning things was just part of my growing up.” Being a screamer in a hardcore punk band certainly helps with shaping those ideas, though the developer adds, “the cyber part of it is both exaggeration and expression, neon lights and loud noises. It’s about exploring the extremes of dehumanization.”
Of course, as per Amatangelo’s desired approach, that means being open to what others think Cyberpunk represents, too, as that helps “put forward new ideas” and “figure out the next step.”
“I had a lot of people saying, ‘Oh, cyberpunk means this.’ ‘Cyberpunk means that,'” he explains. “And I said, ‘Yes! You’re all right and you’re all wrong!’ Punk means different things to different people, but the core is the ability to pose questions — to ask why.”
At the time of writing, CD Projekt Red hasn’t given us any indication of when Cyberpunk 2 will release, though it appears the focus is currently on The Witcher 4. That said, per the blog post, with more than 180 developers working on the game, it’s likely moving forward at a good pace. And given Cyberpunk 2077’s rough launch, we imagine this one will get all the time it needs.