The first expansion coming in 2023 and "further support" througout 2022.

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I know they didn't give a quarter release, but the fact that they announced so early, could it be a Q1 release (Jan-March)? I wonder then if all of the free dlc comes out before the expansion? They haven't given out a window when that will end either.
 
I completely understand your decision. I'm also inclined to uninstall the game from my PC. And I must confess: if it weren't for several mods installed and reshade, I would have uninstalled the game a long time ago. Without a doubt, Cyberpunk 2077, despite the technical problems, was one of the best games I've ever played. Thanks to CDPR for the experience in Night City and for creating unforgettable NPCs. But I can't help but accuse CDPR of having wasted a title with enormous potential. This game deserved to have been better treated, to have better finished explanations, to have much more content and expansions in time for players not to migrate to other titles - something that is already happening massively. Waiting until 2023 is too much, it's something that demands against economic aspects of the company itself. If you're doing that, it's because they realized CP2077 has nothing left to offer from a commercial point of view. Game time has run out. CDPR, by postponing the most important thing, that is, the expansion or expansions, states using beautiful words and promises that it is abandoning the game and that these expansions will truly not exist. I don't trust anyone at CDPR anymore. Well, I'm waiting for the next patch (if it is released, something I'm starting to doubt). If it doesn't contain at least something really substantial and new, the game will be uninstalled. Thanks CDPR for Cyberpunk 2077.
They need to release new game plus asap. Might be only saving grace
 
I completely understand your decision. I'm also inclined to uninstall the game from my PC. And I must confess: if it weren't for several mods installed and reshade, I would have uninstalled the game a long time ago. Without a doubt, Cyberpunk 2077, despite the technical problems, was one of the best games I've ever played. Thanks to CDPR for the experience in Night City and for creating unforgettable NPCs. But I can't help but accuse CDPR of having wasted a title with enormous potential. This game deserved to have been better treated, to have better finished explanations, to have much more content and expansions in time for players not to migrate to other titles - something that is already happening massively. Waiting until 2023 is too much, it's something that demands against economic aspects of the company itself. If you're doing that, it's because they realized CP2077 has nothing left to offer from a commercial point of view. Game time has run out. CDPR, by postponing the most important thing, that is, the expansion or expansions, states using beautiful words and promises that it is abandoning the game and that these expansions will truly not exist. I don't trust anyone at CDPR anymore. Well, I'm waiting for the next patch (if it is released, something I'm starting to doubt). If it doesn't contain at least something really substantial and new, the game will be uninstalled. Thanks CDPR for Cyberpunk 2077.
1. I don't see how notifying investors that most of your staff are working on a cyberpunk expansion means the expansion doesn't exist.

2. Nothing stops you from reinstalling the game when the expansion comes out. I have uninstalled, but it's not some grand drama, just I don't want to play a finite game to death and end up bored of it, and if I'd wanted an infinite game I'd have bought an MMO or Skyrim (no thanks -- the lack of decent narrative means I find the latter dull as ditchwater).

Not so long ago, expansions were neither expected nor came out for literally years after release. If it got good reviews you'd then buy it and then pick the game up again. If it didn't, you didn't. So I don't really get this attitude that it must come out within months. If it did, it might as well be in the base game.
 
Not so long ago, expansions were neither expected nor came out for literally years after release. If it got good reviews you'd then buy it and then pick the game up again. If it didn't, you didn't. So I don't really get this attitude that it must come out within months. If it did, it might as well be in the base game.

Not so long ago, the video game industry wasn't a 250+ billion dollars industry either. Things change. I'm saying this because I'm genuinely unsure what you mean by "not so long ago". I can go all the way back to 2000 and easily find major releases that were releasing their expansions pretty fast too. Diablo 2 (2000/06) - Lord of destruction x-pack (2001/06), Baldur's Gate 2 (2000/09) - Throne of Bhaal (2001/06). Those were two that came to mind immediately because I spent so much time with them but there are plenty more throughout those 22 years. I'm not the oldest forum member around but I wouldn't qualify more than 22 years as not so long ago. You are right that way back then we didn't expect expansions but I have to question the "literally years after release" part because that was not my experience.

In this case, CDPR has set the stage when they literally said there would be one before the game even released. They created the expectation. Then you look at TW3 and realize that just a few days after the game's first anniversary, they released B&W. An absolutely great and huge expansion. On top of a smaller expansion that was released just 5 months after the game's release. An expansion you said was exactly what you'd expect of a decent expansion a few pages back. Are you saying it should've been included in the base game?

Now, obviously there are mitigating factors to take into consideration with CP2077 development, many of which have been mentioned here, but I don't think a late 2022 release was far-fetched all things considered.

With that said, I agree with you that uninstalling isn't some grand drama worthy of being brandished as some kind... threat? You re-install the game or you don't. Yet, the market isn't what it used to be and people aren't going to wait forever for an expansion. You need to capitalize on your momentum as much as possible. The more time passes, the more likely the expansion is to simply be a blip on most people's Steam store and barely catch anyone's attention. As disappointed as I may be by the news I still want the game and more importantly, the IP, to succeed. Which means sales are a must. It's why I think support in 2022 will have to be stellar. Either that or another marketing campaign for the expansion which I highly doubt CDPR has any interest in.
 
They need to release new game plus asap. Might be only saving grace
Yes, the new game plus would be a way to keep the game "breathing" reasonably until 2023. However, after so much lack of clarity and obedience regarding the schedule, nothing more allows me to even believe that we will have expansion in 2023. CDPR made the lie a routine. Which is a shame because the guys know how to create excellent stories.
 
Well that's not too surprising since they are peeling staff off to other projects and that juicy Epic Games partnership is likely taking up a lot of focus too.

Who knows what the future holds for Cyberpunk 2077, but I do not personally think that the future is bright for it.

Hopefully I'm wrong .. but I doubt it. :sneaky:
 
Well that's not too surprising since they are peeling staff off to other projects and that juicy Epic Games partnership is likely taking up a lot of focus too.

Who knows what the future holds for Cyberpunk 2077, but I do not personally think that the future is bright for it.

Hopefully I'm wrong .. but I doubt it. :sneaky:

You do realize this Epic Games deal would effect all their games moving forward, right? It's not just Witcher 4.
 
You do realize this Epic Games deal would effect all their games moving forward, right? It's not just Witcher 4.

Unless you have some insider knowledge, that's pure speculation. As it stands and as far as we know, it is only for the next installment of the Witcher. I have no doubt that their partnership with Epic has limitations to either be renewed or not. Just like the overwhelming majority of contracts of it's kind.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe they will stick with Unreal engine going forward and I personally think it's a great move but to act like it's a fact at this point is wrong.
 
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Unless you have some insider knowledge, that's pure speculation. As it stands and as far as we know, it is only for the next installment of the Witcher. I have no doubt that their partnership with Epic has limitations to either be renewed or not. Just like the overwhelming majority of contracts of it's kind.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe they will stick with Unreal engine going forward and I personally think it's a great move but to act like it's a fact at this point is wrong.

Uh, no. It's from the Witcher announcement.

"This is an exciting moment as we’re moving from REDengine to Unreal Engine 5, beginning a multi-year strategic partnership with Epic Games. It covers not only licensing, but technical development of Unreal Engine 5, as well as potential future versions of Unreal Engine, where relevant. We'll closely collaborate with Epic Games’ developers with the primary goal being to help tailor the engine for open-world experiences"
 
I have not played this thing in over a year, 17 months later is it fixed? fixed means not just playable, polished and ready to be judged.
 
I completely understand your decision. I'm also inclined to uninstall the game from my PC. And I must confess: if it weren't for several mods installed and reshade, I would have uninstalled the game a long time ago. Without a doubt, Cyberpunk 2077, despite the technical problems, was one of the best games I've ever played. Thanks to CDPR for the experience in Night City and for creating unforgettable NPCs. But I can't help but accuse CDPR of having wasted a title with enormous potential. This game deserved to have been better treated, to have better finished explanations, to have much more content and expansions in time for players not to migrate to other titles - something that is already happening massively. Waiting until 2023 is too much, it's something that demands against economic aspects of the company itself. If you're doing that, it's because they realized CP2077 has nothing left to offer from a commercial point of view. Game time has run out. CDPR, by postponing the most important thing, that is, the expansion or expansions, states using beautiful words and promises that it is abandoning the game and that these expansions will truly not exist. I don't trust anyone at CDPR anymore. Well, I'm waiting for the next patch (if it is released, something I'm starting to doubt). If it doesn't contain at least something really substantial and new, the game will be uninstalled. Thanks CDPR for Cyberpunk 2077.

If I was a CDPR employee, I would probably feel like you were trying to emotionally blackmail me after reading that lol. Most of their team is working on the thing.

To anyone else: if you're feeling disappointed or anxious about the timeline, I still recommend watching the video below for a decent analysis for why that is.

Excellent video on the topic from Inside Games below. Laurence (whose partner works for CDPR) makes an important point around the 4:20 mark regarding direct humanitarian work CDPR employees are doing that's definitely worth bearing in mind <3 <3 <3❤️


If you couldn't watch the video, you've got several possible factors:

The 1.5 patch took time;
The "Red 2.0" restructuring of the company;
The big hack and subsequent security audits;
CDPR taking back control of the witcher 3 next-gen update;
And the pandemic.

And, again, on top of all that, CDPR employees, in their free time, are literally helping refugees. That's downright heroic.

Based on all of that I'd say it's fairly understandable why it's taking time.

Times like this you gotta remember it's still just a game. You can do a kazillion other things in the meantime.
 
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Uh, no. It's from the Witcher announcement.

"This is an exciting moment as we’re moving from REDengine to Unreal Engine 5, beginning a multi-year strategic partnership with Epic Games. It covers not only licensing, but technical development of Unreal Engine 5, as well as potential future versions of Unreal Engine, where relevant. We'll closely collaborate with Epic Games’ developers with the primary goal being to help tailor the engine for open-world experiences"

That will either be renewed or not based on multiple factors. In other words, if either party isn't getting as much out of the partnership as they want that will be the end of it.

You do realize that the next Witcher installment is multiple years away? Like 3-4 years away at best. This is a "we'll be working with them and seeing how it goes, if it goes the way we want, we will keep at it" partnership. Not a "we are forever linked to them" deal. They're testing the grounds so to speak. Like any company would. If development of their first project with UE doesn't pan out the way they want it to, they will move back to RED in an instant. I have no doubt about that.

It's pretty standard commercial partnership fare.

I also have no doubt that UE will yield the desired results as I firmly believe it's a much better engine for what seems to be their future projects and, as such, they will move on to it permanently eventually. This is just not fact at this point in time and merely speculation from any of us :shrug:

Meanwhile Epic has probably secured some degree of exclusivity from one of the biggest IP out there. 1 year exclusivity to Epic and GoG is my guess.
 
You do realize that the next Witcher installment is multiple years away? Like 3-4 years away at best. This is a "we'll be working with them and seeing how it goes, if it goes the way we want, we will keep at it" partnership. Not a "we are forever linked to them" deal. They're testing the grounds so to speak. Like any company would. If development of their first project with UE doesn't pan out the way they want it to, they will move back to RED in an instant. I have no doubt about that.

Yeah, I'm fully aware Witcher 4 is not coming anytime soon, but reading between the lines acquiring a new engine, those don't come cheap. This will be a multi-game deal (including potential Cyberpunk sequels) as stated in the press release: "including future versions [meaning Unreal 6, 7 etc] of Unreal engine." Well, of course this isn't till the end of time deal.
 
That will either be renewed or not based on multiple factors. In other words, if either party isn't getting as much out of the partnership as they want that will be the end of it.

You do realize that the next Witcher installment is multiple years away? Like 3-4 years away at best. This is a "we'll be working with them and seeing how it goes, if it goes the way we want, we will keep at it" partnership. Not a "we are forever linked to them" deal. They're testing the grounds so to speak. Like any company would. If development of their first project with UE doesn't pan out the way they want it to, they will move back to RED in an instant. I have no doubt about that.

It's pretty standard commercial partnership fare.

I also have no doubt that UE will yield the desired results as I firmly believe it's a much better engine for what seems to be their future projects and, as such, they will move on to it permanently eventually. This is just not fact at this point in time and merely speculation from any of us :shrug:

Meanwhile Epic has probably secured some degree of exclusivity from one of the biggest IP out there. 1 year exclusivity to Epic and GoG is my guess.
That's actually an interesting point. How would an Epic/Gog exclusivity deal work? If it's also available on GoG, it's not really exclusive.

Would Epic even agree to that?
 
Yeah, I'm fully aware Witcher 4 is not coming anytime soon, but reading between the lines acquiring a new engine, those don't come cheap. This will be a multi-game deal (including potential Cyberpunk sequels) as stated in the press release: "including future versions [meaning Unreal 6, 7 etc] of Unreal engine." Well, of course this isn't till the end of time deal.
Im not quite sure how expensive it would be. For me right now i can dl it and use it free until i try too sell the game i made, think its a % of what you made from the game then. For a company like CDPR that can actually help Epic with development of the engine im guessing its some share of profits or development and possibly some kinda deal on limited exlusivity.

Im quite sure it wont be more expensive then making your own custom engine with all the bells and whistles. And it will be easier too find people that are used too working on it then on RED. It also has alot of pre made framework for MP and other functionalitys that you dont have too make from scratch. Im not a game dev so im not sure exactly how it works and im pretty much speculating but it seems like a pretty good deal.

At the same time i have some worry about it too. UE games tend too have a bit of a signature style and gameplay thingy about it. Not so sure it would mesh with RPG elements well. Just like Frostbite was pretty much made too run FPS games and has been a issue from Bioware too use for RPGS.
 
That's actually an interesting point. How would an Epic/Gog exclusivity deal work? If it's also available on GoG, it's not really exclusive.

Would Epic even agree to that?

My guess is that's it's less about the exclusivity to their store and more about keeping it off Steam. In 2020, Steam was still getting twice the amount of daily users Epic was. I doubt this number has changed much over the last two years. Additionally, a lot of the Epic users get on for the free games and don't actually spend on the store. My own Epic store library has something like 40 games but I only paid for two of those, the rest were all free games Epic gave away from the course the last year and a half.

They are aiming for a 35-50% share of the PC market after all. Steam is the king to remove. Both GoG and Epic can benefit from the game not being on Steam temporarily.

Other than that, sure, why not? They'll probably have a few in-game goodies that will be 100% exclusive to Epic.
 
Im not quite sure how expensive it would be. For me right now i can dl it and use it free until i try too sell the game i made, think its a % of what you made from the game then. For a company like CDPR that can actually help Epic with development of the engine im guessing its some share of profits or development and possibly some kinda deal on limited exlusivity.

Im quite sure it wont be more expensive then making your own custom engine with all the bells and whistles. And it will be easier too find people that are used too working on it then on RED. It also has alot of pre made framework for MP and other functionalitys that you dont have too make from scratch. Im not a game dev so im not sure exactly how it works and im pretty much speculating but it seems like a pretty good deal.

At the same time i have some worry about it too. UE games tend too have a bit of a signature style and gameplay thingy about it. Not so sure it would mesh with RPG elements well. Just like Frostbite was pretty much made too run FPS games and has been a issue from Bioware too use for RPGS.


But it can't be as simple as flipping a switch on and off.
 
It would be shocking to me if they do not stick with UE throughout at least the next three Witcher games and next two/three Cyberpunk games.

Witcher 3/Cyberpunk 2077 development were both said to be filled with issues, mostly stemming from all of the work having to be done on the engine. Employee turnover seems to be impacting the engine. Hiring and catching people up to speed seems to be impacted by the engine. Recruiting seems to be impacted by the engine. Multiplayer would be a completely new undertaking with the old engine that would require a ton of time.

They have even announced they are no longer pursuing multiplayer elements on REDengine.

If they go through all of the effort to develop Witcher 4 on UE, build out multiplayer, put all of the assets into it, etc... it seems like it will be a monumental amount of work to then go back and catch REDengine back up to speed. But I am not a dev, so there might be something I am missing.

There is no way they just develop The Witcher 4 on UE. They have stated REPEATEDLY that they want to develop two AAA titles at a time. That almost without a doubt means they are going to churn out some expansions for Cyberpunk 2077 in 2023 and maybe into 2024... then they are going to start production/development on Cyberpunk 2 (if they haven't already) at the same time as The Witcher 4. That is what 'RED 2.0' and all of that stuff is all about. No way they use two different engines while doing that... no way they put the two teams on two different engines and make it so they cannot share what they have learned or easily jump from one team to the other.

Yeah, they don't straight up say that... but it seems about as obvious as it can get.
 
But it can't be as simple as flipping a switch on and off.
No its probably more hard than that. But making a MP framework from scratch with a engine that dont have it... That is a pretty big thing. There much more that goes into it then just the connectivity. Depending on what kinda MP they want it can be gigantic. RED wasent really made for MP either so im not sure how it would react if you try too just add it on.
 
At the same time i have some worry about it too. UE games tend too have a bit of a signature style and gameplay thingy about it. Not so sure it would mesh with RPG elements well. Just like Frostbite was pretty much made too run FPS games and has been a issue from Bioware too use for RPGS.
I'm not sure, I guess it depends on how much custom stuff they put in UE.
Mass Effect was UE3,Outer Worlds is UE4,Octopath Traveler is also UE4 and is quite different than Outer Worlds... for sure all game engines have their "signature" in it-Unity is much more characteristic in that regard-, but you can customize them quite a bit also.
 
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