CD Projekt RED's new games will have online elements

CD Projekt RED announces a long-term plan to infuse online elements into all of its future games, but it promises not to compromise singleplayer focus.

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Online components are coming to CD Projekt's upcoming games, which include new entries in the Witcher and Cyberpunk franchises. The company is ramping up its internal network infrastructure to power online features in new titles, and GOG Galaxy will help wrap everything together into a neat, cohesive ecosystem.

CD Projekt's President Adam Kicinski confirms that online components will be added "where it makes sense," but the developer will still focus primarily on AAA singleplayer RPGs. The plan is for online features to be additive to the core RPG experience, and not serve as the main basis for games (like EA's penchant for live services).

"CD Projekt RED makes singleplayer, story-driven AAA RPGs. That is not changing," Kicinski said in a recent strategy briefing. "What is changing is our long-term approach to online, and by this we mean ensuring we are properly prepared to implement online elements in our games where they make sense."

"We don't want to go overboard or lose our singleplayer DNA. We want to take thoughtful steps to build robust online capabilities."

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Kicisnki also says that the studio's next AAA game may not be Cyberpunk 2077's multiplayer mode. CDPR plans to work on two games in parallel as early as 2022. One of these games will be a new title in the Witcher franchise.

"Previously, we hinted that our next level AAA would be a multiplayer Cyberpunk game, but we have decided to reconsider this plan given our new, more systematic and agile approach. Instead of primarily focusing on one big online experience or game, we are focusing on bringing online into all of our franchises one day."

"We aim to make online technologies an important part of our future games and use GOG Galaxy to grow global communities of gamers.

"We are building an online technology that can be seamlessly integrated into the development of our future games. This technology will power online components we choose to introduce into our games and will ensure we can do serve without any great technological debt.

"With this technology in place, we can start to grow an online community powered by our own GOG Galaxy platform which connects gamers both inside and outside of our games.

"Long-term iteration means constantly learning and improving as we go. Our technical knowledge will expand. Our expertise will become stronger, and online elements will become a logical, coherent part of our business."

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CD Projekt CFO Piotr Nielubowicz also confirms the studio's future games will continue combining multiple genres together (Cyberpunk 2077, for example, is first-person shooter and RPG) and that future titles will still be AAA RPG experiences:

"What we've outlined today is our way of planning ahead for the next stage of this journey. We will continue to develop AAA RPGs that blend genres while maintaining a deep RPG core, and our long-term approach to online will add another aspect to our single player DNA.

"With important internal and structural changes put in place, we look to move towards a more agile development process where we have the resources and ability to focus on parallel IP development across our two core franchises. Those franchises will also grow outside of our bread and butter game releases.

"More avenues are open to us than ever before and by smarty leveraging the potential of our IPs can grow them greatly."