Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Debunks Long-Standing Fan Theory

by

Igor Sarzyński, the creative director at CD Projekt Red, recently disproved a long-standing fan theory about Cyberpunk 2077. Unlike most fan theories for the game, which focus on the story or characters, this one concerned something surprisingly basic: the elevators in Cyberpunk 2077.

Igor Sarzyński started at CD Projekt Red in September 2011 as a quality assurance tester. Over the years, he progressed through various roles, becoming a cinematic designer in 2012, a senior cinematic designer in 2015, a cinematic lead in 2017, and finally, a cinematic director in 2020. In January 2024, he was appointed as a creative director at CD Projekt Red, following his work directing the story for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. As creative director, Sarzyński will play a key role in the development of the next Cyberpunk 2077 game.

Cyberpunk 2077 Creative Director Debunks Elevator Loading Screen Theory

mini rant: no, elevators in cyberpunk are not ‘cleverly concealed loading screens’. you really think you can traverse whole city and enter a huge complex interior with no loading screens but we need to do elevator tricks to load a penthouse? — igor.sarzynski (@srznsk.bsky.social) 2025-12-22T08:50:24.955Z

Igor Sarzyński recently debunked a popular fan theory about the game Cyberpunk 2077. In a post on Bluesky, he confirmed that the elevators in the game aren’t secretly loading screens – a theory that started before the game even launched. Back in September 2020, a Reddit user suggested that elevator rides took longer on older hard drives because they were actually disguising loading times.

Despite repeated attempts by CD Projekt Red developers to disprove it over the past five years, the theory about elevator usage in Cyberpunk 2077 keeps resurfacing online. According to a recent post by Sarzyński, elevators are simply included because they logically fit the setting of Night City. He playfully defended the game’s engine, stating they could easily make elevators visually transparent if desired and dismissing any criticism as unfair.

One user on Bluesky questioned why CD Projekt Red moved away from their own game engine, REDengine, to Unreal Engine 5, especially considering projects like the next Witcher game and the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. CD Projekt Red’s Jakub Sarzyński responded by saying they want to focus on creating games, not building engines. This sentiment aligns with previous statements from the studio, including one from technology VP Charles Tremblay in November 2024, who explained the switch to Unreal Engine 5 was intended to streamline work on multiple projects.

Every CD Projekt Red Game Currently In Development

  • The Witcher 4
  • The Witcher 5
  • The Witcher 6
  • The Witcher Remake
  • Project Sirius (The Witcher spinoff)
  • Project Orion (Cyberpunk 2077 sequel)
  • Project Hadar (New IP)

CD Projekt Red is currently working on seven games, with five of them set in the world of The Witcher. The next major release will likely be The Witcher 4, which was announced at The Game Awards in 2024. CD Projekt Red plans to follow that up with two more Witcher games, aiming to release this new trilogy over the next six years. They reaffirmed this plan during an earnings call in November 2025.

CD Projekt Red is currently working on two more Witcher games: a remake of the original game and a new spinoff called Project Sirius. While development on the Witcher Remake, created by Fool’s Theory, has been quiet recently, Project Sirius has seen more public updates. The project had to be restarted in 2023, and the developing team, The Molasses Flood, was integrated into CD Projekt Red earlier this year. CD Projekt Red hasn’t announced release dates for any of its upcoming games, including the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 and a completely new game based on an original story.

Read More

2025-12-23 20:09