So, I would have it so that CP2077 is the base game on top of which two or three separate "sequel sized" expansions are built, that can be accessed via the main menu.
The protagonist in this first 2077 "episode" - if you will - is V, as we know; the first "expansion/sequel" protagonist might be H, and the protagonist of the third, S.
Now V is - as a baseline - either techie, netrunner or solo, or a mixup of those (all pretty straight forward classes for edgerunning). H might be cop, media or med tech (all pretty "mainstream" classes and mostly on the side of law, but of course corruptable, and still somewhat actiony). S might be nomad, corpo or fixer (all can be prone to lawlessness, selfserviance and opportunism).
Every character has his/her own storylines, side quests, interactions, skillsets, gameplay opportunities and outcomes. Each has their own game, to put it that way, but within one product so that you can access them all at any order you wish (once they're all out).
The storylines happen simultaneously with eachother and might coincide in certain points, they might even be somewhat interconnected with eachother in some ways so that it might seem they all play along, but they'd still be individual stories of those characters.
And as the next "episode" get closer, the core game gets updates accordingly. Maybe even adding some small stuff to the preceding "episodes" in the gameplay front.
So in the end, you'd have three games in one package. All with unique content and gameplay fit for their intended experiences. And those three "episodes" would be Cyberpunk 2077 as a whole experience, practically a trilogy in one.
And if that wasn't too much to ask for yet, they could add a fourth "episode", which would be kind of a Cyberpunk sandbox where you'd have all the skills and character archetypes of V, H and S for a character that's completely open to the player and not predefined in any way (not voiced, no backstory beyond the players choices for lifepath, a blank slate...). And the story for him/her would be the quintessential "saving yourself" exploration happening in Night City. An event based story that has an opening motif and a number of conclusions, but where the path between start and finishline would be completely up to the player (see Fallout or Fallout 2 for example and expand on that idea). Some conclusions might mean game over, and some might let you roam freely around the city doing the sandbox content that'd be the core point of this fourth "episode" (freeroam).
So basically "four" games in one massive, massive product produced through a number of years.
Graphics don't need upgrading form 2077. The city doesn't need to be built all over again for each sequel. Base gameplay and city dynamics only need adjusting between the "episodes". The "episodes" might increase the size of the city at its edges if need be, but that's that.
Now obviously this isn't going to happen the way I explained it, and more likely it won't happen at all, but I think the thematic behind this sort of idea could be interesting, and it would align with CDPR's intent on supporting the game and the franchise for years to come.
A Cyberpunk 2 is wholly other matter which I won't even start to hypothesize.
So there. That's how I'd see expanding CP2077 done if it was up to me. Not in the way of usual isolated and relatively shoebox sized storyexpansions for that one protagonist like Witcher 3, but in a completely different manner.
The protagonist in this first 2077 "episode" - if you will - is V, as we know; the first "expansion/sequel" protagonist might be H, and the protagonist of the third, S.
Now V is - as a baseline - either techie, netrunner or solo, or a mixup of those (all pretty straight forward classes for edgerunning). H might be cop, media or med tech (all pretty "mainstream" classes and mostly on the side of law, but of course corruptable, and still somewhat actiony). S might be nomad, corpo or fixer (all can be prone to lawlessness, selfserviance and opportunism).
Every character has his/her own storylines, side quests, interactions, skillsets, gameplay opportunities and outcomes. Each has their own game, to put it that way, but within one product so that you can access them all at any order you wish (once they're all out).
The storylines happen simultaneously with eachother and might coincide in certain points, they might even be somewhat interconnected with eachother in some ways so that it might seem they all play along, but they'd still be individual stories of those characters.
And as the next "episode" get closer, the core game gets updates accordingly. Maybe even adding some small stuff to the preceding "episodes" in the gameplay front.
So in the end, you'd have three games in one package. All with unique content and gameplay fit for their intended experiences. And those three "episodes" would be Cyberpunk 2077 as a whole experience, practically a trilogy in one.
And if that wasn't too much to ask for yet, they could add a fourth "episode", which would be kind of a Cyberpunk sandbox where you'd have all the skills and character archetypes of V, H and S for a character that's completely open to the player and not predefined in any way (not voiced, no backstory beyond the players choices for lifepath, a blank slate...). And the story for him/her would be the quintessential "saving yourself" exploration happening in Night City. An event based story that has an opening motif and a number of conclusions, but where the path between start and finishline would be completely up to the player (see Fallout or Fallout 2 for example and expand on that idea). Some conclusions might mean game over, and some might let you roam freely around the city doing the sandbox content that'd be the core point of this fourth "episode" (freeroam).
So basically "four" games in one massive, massive product produced through a number of years.
Graphics don't need upgrading form 2077. The city doesn't need to be built all over again for each sequel. Base gameplay and city dynamics only need adjusting between the "episodes". The "episodes" might increase the size of the city at its edges if need be, but that's that.
Now obviously this isn't going to happen the way I explained it, and more likely it won't happen at all, but I think the thematic behind this sort of idea could be interesting, and it would align with CDPR's intent on supporting the game and the franchise for years to come.
A Cyberpunk 2 is wholly other matter which I won't even start to hypothesize.
So there. That's how I'd see expanding CP2077 done if it was up to me. Not in the way of usual isolated and relatively shoebox sized storyexpansions for that one protagonist like Witcher 3, but in a completely different manner.