Update:
While the hype might be built around Phantom Liberty still, the developers are still working on a sequel and more recently we got word of a live action adaptation is underway.
Original Story…
We’ve come a long way since the initial release of Cyberpunk 2077. When the game launched into the marketplace, the community of players was quick to dismantle the game. There were many criticisms, and some critical feedback was warranted. Bugs were present in the game and had poor optimization for various platforms. However, the developers continued working through the game and delivering an experience they felt met their standards. Now, the game’s recent 2.0 update and the Phantom Liberty expansion have gained quite a bit of attention.
It’s even had a new resurgence of players enjoying the game and pointing out comparisons to another massive RPG release from this year, Starfield. However, one developer behind Cyberpunk 2077 has stepped up to defend one area of criticism towards Starfield that was compared to Cyberpunk 2077. In the eyes of Patrick Mills, this comparison is something that players shouldn’t discredit the team over at Bethesda.
Patrick Mills is a senior designer for CD Projekt Red, and he recently came across a post on X that suggested the animations for Starfield are a massive step down to Cyberpunk 2077. The individual also noted that they believe this lack of detailed animations and scenes is due to the game engine. However, Patrick pointed out how this is not an engine issue, and creating a scene similar to Cyberpunk 2077 would have meant endless work on the Bethesda development team.
Essentially, Patrick’s reasoning boils down to Starfield having a wide range of possibilities. When you look at scenes from Cyberpunk 2077, not many variables come into play. You have a specific location, and within that, the developers could spend a ton of time getting right for the players. Meanwhile, because there are different variables in Starfield, such as planet locations and even NPCs being present, it’s hard to create these scenes to be as detailed. With that said, the focus of the developers has been creating more freedom for players.
We’ll likely still see players pointing out comparisons to these two RPGs. However, having developers’ feedback on either project gives us a new perspective. Currently, both Starfield and Cyberpunk 2077 are available in the marketplace. With Starfield, players can enjoy the game on PC and Xbox Series X/S platforms. Meanwhile, to enjoy the latest update on Cyberpunk 2077 and its new Phantom Liberty expansion, you’ll need to have a PC, PlayStation 5, or an Xbox Series X/S console.
