Now that the next-gen update has been released for Cyberpunk 2077, focus for residents of Night City has now shifted to the DLC releasing later in 2022. Developer CD Projekt RED has already confirmed that more content will be coming to the game, which is experiencing a resurgence now that many of the bugs and glitches that blighted the game’s launch have been addressed. Players can expect this new DLC to add new weapons, characters and storylines to the game, although a timeframe for release hasn’t been disclosed.
Back in January of 2021, a little over one month after release, CDPR released the first roadmap on Twitter for its post-launch plans for Cyberpunk 2077. This roadmap was intentionally vague as it excluded any official dates or timeframes, just simply placing future patches for Cyberpunk 2077 along a timeline. Because the original game was delayed three times from its initial release date, not committing to an exact release date should’ve alleviated delay-related disappointment, rather opting to place large upcoming expected feature patches within the frame of the upcoming year. Even this timeline ended up being changed, as CDPR announced on its Twitter in October that the next-gen upgrade to the game would be postponed until this year. The remainder of last year was spent releasing more hotfixes and patches to stabilize the game, with one minor content drop in August that added a new skin for Johnny Silverhand, a new wearable jacket, and a new vehicle. More significant updates were expected, the first of which arrived in February 2022.
The February update brought a sizable content drop to the game, adding new weapons, additional apartments for Cyberpunk 2077 players to purchase, a rebalancing of the loot system, various visual improvements, and delivering on the next-gen version of the game. This was the first update since release that added a fair amount of new features on top of the never-ending list of bug fixes to stabilize the game. It also helped to bring a large number of players back to Cyberpunk 2077, as taking a look at Steamcharts reveals that the game had a peak player count of 59,061 on Steam post-update, up from its previous low of 10,566 players only one week prior. CDPR had taken a step in the right direction, and 2022 had started off bigger than the previous year ever did.
An Expansion For Cyberpunk 2077 Is Currently In Development
After the announcement of a new Witcher game, the Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account announced on March 21 that a new expansion was in development. CDPR also clarified that this new Cyberpunk 2077 expansion would use the same engine as the original game, as the next Witcher title will be made in Unreal instead. This confirms that CDPR is still dedicated to adding more content to continue providing for its player base, though whether or not it’ll be a free or paid expansion is still to be officially determined. Looking back at CDPR’s previous title, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the expansions for that game were paid, though the studio may change its policy on having paid expansions due to the buggy and incomplete state of Cyberpunk 2077 at launch.
On top of the upcoming expansion, it can also be assumed that more patches, fixes, and stability improvements will also be released, as there were four major patches last year, with each patch for Cyberpunk 2077 fixing numerous glitches on top of various hotfixes in-between to tackle more pressing bugs that were causing the most harm. It’s also expected that more cosmetics will be added to the game, as the previous two content drops added new wearable outfits and expanded character customization options. Two new weapons and dozens of attachments were also added in the previous update from February, which touched upon one of the more criticized features of the game that there was a limited and relatively small arsenal to choose from. More of this can be expected in future updates and expansions, as the world of Night City is full of arms dealers and advanced technology, which could lead to some inventive weaponry making it into the hands of V.
Because it’s an RPG, it can be expected that the expansion will also feature new characters, romances, factions, and new upgrades for Cyberpunk 2077 players to spend money on. The base game offered a whole host of factions and side factions, being able to start off as a Nomad, Street Kid, or Corpo, and using those lifepaths to influence certain objectives and conversations. In the expansion, it would make sense that CDPR would add more depth to this dynamic system and allow for more player agency and choice through dialogue options.
Cyberpunk 2077 DLC Could Expand Romances
Another area that the new Cyberpunk 2077 expansion could enhance is player romances, as the base game had only a few moments where V could engage in intimacy and delve into delicate and personal dialogue with an NPC. An expansion of the game based around these systems would allow it to fit in with the rest of the story, though the question still remains as to when the DLC will take place, as Cyberpunk 2077‘s ending includes a definitive fate for V. Either way, expanding upon the romances already in the game – and potentially adding more romanceable characters for players to interact with – would be a great way to add further variety to a given playthrough. Romances with Panam and Judy were highlights of the game’s story, and it would make sense for CDPR to expand upon that element in any future DLC.
Cyberpunk 2077 has come a long way since its mixed release in 2020, with four major patches since then, squashing thousands of bugs and performance issues, and a handful of new content to utilize and try out. Based on the current trajectory of the spacing between each update, Cyberpunk 2077‘s new DLC could release around the end of the year, as CDPR has not released any official promotional material for it yet. Until then, it would be wise to expect more patches and fixes as CDPR continues to ensure that Cyberpunk 2077 eventually lives up to its lofty pre-launch expectations.
Sources: Steamcharts, Cyberpunk 2077/Twitter
