Cyberpunk 2077 never received a New Game Plus mode like CD Projekt's predecessor The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt because it would "break the way the game is constructed."
Speaking to DualShockers, Cyberpunk 2077 quest director and its sequel's associate game director Paweł Sasko gave a somewhat vague explanation for why the now beloved role-playing game didn't receive New Game Plus in its more than three years of updates.
"For us, it’s really important that when you have components in a game, they all work together and they all work well and they all make sense," Sasko said. "The thing is, Cyberpunk is very specific when it comes to its construction.
"It’s incredibly difficult to figure out a way where New Game Plus could be done in a way that doesn’t completely break the way the game is constructed."
Sasko referenced Bethesda's latest RPG Starfield and its New Game Plus system, which actually ties into the overall story and has a logical explanation for how and why the entire world is resetting, and seemed to suggest this was the only option for incorporating the New Game Plus mechanic.
He didn't address why Cyberpunk 2077 couldn't have a more traditional means of New Game Plus, however, that simply sees the player restart the story while keeping abilities or experience. This is how The Witcher 3's version of the system worked, as it had no story connection or explanation for the reset whatsoever and just allowed players to experience the game again with a few extras.
Sasko even admitted Cyberpunk 2077 was designed to be replayed, which would suggest this style of New Game Plus would work well.
"It’s to be replayed. It’s to try different life paths, try different romances, try different builds," he said. "There’s so many things that you can at least, twice or three times, have a very varied experience in 2077. So this is another answer, the game was built to be replayed that way."
Fans still holding out hope for a New Game Plus mode shouldn't hold their breath, as CD Projekt announced there is no longer a dedicated Cyberpunk 2077 team working at the studio as employees instead turned their attention to its sequel and, predominantly, the next Witcher game.
That's not to say it won't receive any support in the future, however, as CD Projekt confirmed to IGN that Cyberpunk 2077 will still get the long promised FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 (FSR3) support at some point.
Development was wound down after the release of its first and only expansion, Phantom Liberty, in September 2023. It came after the game-changing Update 2.0, which completely revamped Cyberpunk 2077 with features such as a new perk system and improved AI, and was followed by another big update in 2.1 but only minor changes afterwards.
In our 9/10 review, IGN said: "Cyberpunk 2077 throws you into a beautiful, dense cityscape and offers a staggering amount of flexibility in how you choose to take it from there."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
