Tuesday 6 September 2022

CYBERPUNK 2077: PHANTOM LIBERTY announced

The first major expansion for Cyberpunk 2077, Phantom Liberty, has been announced for release in 2023. The new expansion sees V, the protagonist of Cyberpunk 2077, joining forces with the government of the New United States for a new mission, to the distress of their head-companion Johnny Silverhand.

CD Projekt Red has revealed little else about the expansion, save it takes place in an "all-new district" of Night City and is a "spy thriller." The presence of Johnny and V in the trailer suggests this expansion is set before the end of Cyberpunk 2077.

Cyberpunk 2077 was announced in 2012 and released in late 2020, with critical acclaim for its story, characterisation, visuals, soundtrack and atmosphere, but serious criticism of its bugs, especially on last-generation consoles. The release turned into a major fiasco, with console sales of the game suspended. A lengthy programme of bugfixes and patches eventually stabilised the game and the 1.5 patch in February this year finally resolved the bulk of the game's problems. These issues have delayed work on the game's expansions. A new 1.6 patch released today addresses further issues, adds new features and ties in with the release of the Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners animated series on Netflix next week.

CDPR originally planned two expansions for the game, the first being set in a new area of the Pacifica district and adding new quests and storylines. The second would have taken V to the orbiting space station known as the Crystal Palace and resolved the remaining dangling storyline issues from the original release. It's unclear if Phantom Liberty is the first expansion, or replaces both.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty will be released in 2023 on PC, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5 and Stadia.

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