CDPR Director A Longer First Act Would Actually Detract from Cyberpunk 2077
Five years after the title was first released, Cyberpunk 2077 still has tongues wagging over its introduction which, in the eyes of some, was far too fast-paced and sacrificed a more complete depiction of V's bond with Jackie Welles. Igor Sarzynski, who used to be in charge of the game's cutscenes but is now the Creative Director at CD Projekt Red, gives a new take on these decisions.
Sarzynski on Narrative Momentum
Sarzynski states that whatever the case, the addition of more Jackie Welles scenes at the beginning would have slowed down the narrative momentum. The story unfolds in a very good tempo with the characters driven and up to make their names in Night City.
"It's like saying we should spend more time on Tatooine with Luke farming before he gets into the whole Jedi thing."
Igor Sarzynski, Creative Director at CDPR
Balancing the Pace and Player Connection
Although the creative director admits that lively opening was so fast-paced that not every player would have the opportunity to forge a strong bond with Jackie, he insists that they found the right equilibrium. Laying the ground for the core plot before the player opens the whole world to him/her would have constituted a narrative mistake.
Sarzynski also mentioned what he called "ludonarrative dissonance," which he finds to manifest in the time pressure of the story (with V on a ticking clock) contrasted with the game's feel of being able to roam around Night City forever.
Debunking the Myths of Cut Content
He even goes against a much-circulated idea that the sequence montage of V and Jackie's friendship was just a product of scrapping up the cut content. To make things clear, Sarzynski said that the montage was an explicit creative choice and the creators showed whatever they meant to the players.
The Future of Cyberpunk
Currently, CDPR is developing a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, called 'Project Orion', and it is predicted that the player may visit two different megacities in this sequel.
