Cyberpunk 2077 Director Denies Claims that Early Game Montage was Cut Content

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Spoiler Warning: This article contains story spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077.

Igor Sarzyński, Creative Director for Cyberpunk 2077, explained that the game’s initial section was intentionally short and that making it longer wouldn’t have improved the experience. Although Cyberpunk 2077 had a difficult launch, it has since become a major success story in the gaming world. Despite this turnaround, some players still have concerns, but the game’s narrative lead doesn’t agree with all of the criticism.

Despite being released five years ago, Cyberpunk 2077 is still actively supported with updates – the latest came in September 2025. The Phantom Liberty expansion, released in 2023, significantly improved the game after launch. Even with earlier technical issues, players consistently praised Cyberpunk‘s story, though some still feel the narrative could have been stronger. Lead Quest Director Pawel Saski (Sarzyński) has openly addressed these criticisms.

Cyberpunk 2077 Story Lead Says Act One Doesn’t Need to Be Any Longer

So would extending Act 1 (before the heist) in CP77 make the game better? 1. No it wouldn’t. It’s like saying we should spend more time on Tatooine with farmer Luke before he got involved with all this Jedi stuff. (1/3) — igor.sarzynski (@srznsk.bsky.social) 2026-01-05T13:41:50.224Z

On January 5th, the creative director of Cyberpunk 2077 responded to fan discussions about the game’s opening. While many praise Cyberpunk 2077‘s story as one of the best in open-world gaming, some feel the first part of the game is too short. A frequent complaint is that players didn’t have enough time to connect with the character Jackie before his death, which kicks off the main plot. However, the director disagreed, drawing a parallel to Star Wars and arguing that it wouldn’t have benefited from spending more time on Tatooine with Luke before he began his adventure.

Image via CD Projekt Red

The Creative Director explained that making the opening section longer would make it feel aimless and drawn-out, as players wouldn’t have a clear reason to care about the Arasaka heist. The prologue is brief in part because a montage quickly shows V and Jackie rising through Night City’s criminal ranks over six months. Some fans thought these scenes might have been removed during development, but Sarzyński confirmed the team always intended for it to be this way. While the initial release of Cyberpunk 2077 did include cuts to content through a day-one patch, a longer opening wasn’t one of them.

Sarzyński noted that players can spend extra time discovering Night City in Cyberpunk 2077, effectively lengthening the beginning of the game. The open world itself offers around 20 hours of gameplay before the main story truly begins. He believes the initial missions strike a good balance – allowing players to connect with the character Jackie while still moving the plot forward. However, opinions varied among players, and not everyone agreed with this assessment.

Image via CD Projekt Red

Okay, so even though people have mixed feelings about how Cyberpunk 2077 started, CD Projekt Red has said they definitely aren’t done with the Cyberpunk universe! Rumors are flying around that Cyberpunk 2 could be coming out around the late 2030s – maybe around the 10th anniversary of the first game. Honestly, that feels like a long wait, but the developers are working on it. Let’s just hope it launches smoothly this time around, unlike the first game!

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2026-01-06 23:04