Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty aims to "fulfill the potential" of the original game
Cyberpunk 2077 is in a better state now than it was in 2020. In the nearly three years since its release in December 2020, developer CD Projekt Red's sprawling sci-fi RPG has gone through significant changes. Along with the notable quality-of-life updates to address numerous bugs and performance issues, the developers have also addressed community feedback and even released a questline inspired by Netflix's anime series Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners.
With the upcoming release of the Cyberpunk 2077 expansion Phantom Liberty on September 26, it will not only serve as a substantial update for the game but also act as a finale of sorts for the sci-fi RPG. At Summer Game Fest 2023, I got to play an early mission in Phantom Liberty's main story, which took V to the rundown district of Dogtown–which serves as the main battleground for a brewing conflict that puts Night City at risk.
Along with my hands-on time, I spoke with VP and game director of the upcoming expansion, Gabriel Amatangelo, about how the DLC aims to have Cyberpunk 2077 "fulfill its potential" by embracing deeper role-playing game fantasies that players want from a sprawling open world.
One of the great successes of Cyberpunk 2077 was its attention to detail in establishing a vibrant yet still-hostile city of the future. With Phantom Liberty, the developers at CDPR saw the expansion as an opportunity to double down on the sprawl of Night City and make the navigation and exploration of this world more introspective, which leans deeper into the role-playing experience. According to the game director, Phantom Liberty will be a major turning point for Cyberpunk 2077.
"It's such a rich, big world that we created, and since the launch, we've kind of put our heads down on
Read more on gamedeveloper.com
