Pawel Sasko, one of the CD Projekt RED lead developers, discusses the complexity of developing Cyberpunk 2077. They needed to figure out how to reduce development costs.

Games are getting more expensive, at least if game makers want to stay at the cutting edge of technology. This is what is needed to justify the public’s investment in the latest PC or next-generation console. However, some studios in the industry are beginning to warn that the continuing rise in development costs is a challenge. Such is the case of CD Projekt RED.

When asked by PC Gamer about a recent publication that said, “The cinematic BioWare-style RPG is dead, it just doesn’t know it yet”, Pawel Sasko, mission designer for Cyberpunk 2077, had this to say:

“We mostly agree, actually, with the thesis. At least when it comes to triple-A, we are just running at a f*cking wall, I think, and we’re gonna crash on that wall really soon.”

Commenting on CDPR, Sasko explains that production costs have only increased. This makes game development processes more and more complicated. The best example is the difference between the development processes of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077.

Pawel Sasko also spoke at a roundtable discussion with other industry colleagues. Here he wanted to highlight the importance of developing solutions that can speed up the production of such titles. Without giving up the cinematic look and freedom of movement that audiences expect from games.

But they can also add narrative ramifications in a much less costly way, as Disco Elysium was able to do in its field.

Joining the conversation was BioWare legend Mike Laidlaw. He’s worked on developments such as Jade Empire and the Dragon Age saga. Laidlaw didn’t hesitate to give Sasko his due and praise all the magic that has been done with Cyberpunk 2077. “It was like the unbroken perspective of Half-Life 2 but with all the branching and stuff from all your titles. It was a phenomenal achievement, I think, but I imagine expensive in a deeply personal level on top of the money.”

Source: PC Gamer