Tom Phillips
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CD Projekt looks set to include multiplayer features in Cyberpunk 2, years after similar plans were scrapped for Cyberpunk 2077.
A posting for the role of Cyberpunk 2's lead network engineer lists the job's responsibilities as including the need to "develop and optimize multiplayer systems, including matchmaking" with an aim to "address challenges related to latency, bandwidth usage and server performance."
Applicants will also need to work "closely with game designers, gameplay programmers, and other departments to integrate network features seamlessly," the job description continued, to "play a pivotal role in designing and implementing the network architecture and online systems."
As expected, the role is primarily based out of CD Projekt's Boston studio, where work on Cyberpunk 2 is now underway, while the company's Polish teams focus on The Witcher 4.
While CD Projekt is yet to confirm Cyberpunk 2 will feature online gameplay, the developer did spend years experimenting with the possibility for the original Cyberpunk 2077. It has previously said it wanted to eventually bring online gameplay into all of its franchises, and specifically said it was considering multiplayer gameplay for Cyberpunk 2 in the past.
The prospect of Cyberpunk 2 finally achieving the studio's multiplayer ambitions therefore should not be surprising — though until CD Projekt confirms the features officially, there's always the possibility these could fall by the wayside once again.
Work on some kind of multiplayer component for Cyberpunk 2077 went on for years within CD Projekt, and was ultimately planned to arrive as a post-launch DLC. Ultimately, however, the offering was scrapped completely as a result of the game's initially rocky launch, with priority instead placed on ensuring the base game worked as well as possible.
“We really needed to look at what were the priorities for Cyberpunk [after it launched],” Cyberpunk 2077 senior quest designer Philipp Weber said back in 2022. “The priority was that the main experience will run for the people in a really good state, and essentially, the switch of priorities meant that other R&D projects had to go away. With Cyberpunk, we wanted to do many things at the same time, and we just needed to really focus and say, ‘Okay, what's the important part? Yeah, we will make that part really good.’”
Earlier this month, breathtaking Cyberpunk 2077 star Keanu Reeves told IGN he was keen to return for CD Projekt's sequel. "Absolutely. I’d love to play Johnny Silverhand again," he told us, when asked if he’d be interested in revisiting his legendary rockstar terrorist.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social