Lead Developer Critiques Cyberpunk 2077's Design Flaws.

Miles Tost, a lead developer at CD Projekt Red, spoke at GDC 2023 about the non-linear level design in Cyberpunk 2077 and how it failed to make the various playstyles feel meaningful. Tost determined that CD Projekt's commitment to telling a strong story was a key stumbling block, resulting in a "generic path" that trivialized the game's robust selection of playstyles. Tost developed three basic principles for level design, including the perception of distance, exclusivity, and validation, which he believes can be applied to future games. The Phantom Liberty expansion is set to launch later this year.