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Ahead of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty’s launch, we spoke to Pawel Sasko, Quest Director for CD Projekt RED. We threw a wide array of questions at him to learn more about this massive update for the popular open-world title. Though Cyberpunk may have had a rough launch initially, it’s become quite popular, thanks to updates that fixed an assortment of bugs and issues that plagued the game.
When we sat down with Pawel Sasko, we asked about the narrative focus, major updates to the game, the notion of stealth being a requirement, and much more. Exploring the seedy underbelly of Night City promises to be an exciting endeavor, when Cyberpunk 2077’s expansion, Phantom Liberty launches.
Pawel Sasko discusses Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's themes, major updates, and more
Q. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us! We’re very excited about Phantom Liberty, the upcoming spy-thriller expansion for Cyberpunk 2077. What inspired this choice when it came to the genre/format of the upcoming content?
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Paweł Sasko, Quest Director: First of all, we really wanted to tell a fresh, unexpected story and we felt that a spy thriller, something very much different from the original plot of the base game, is the perfect way to do exactly that. After all, spy thrillers are not a very popular theme in video games and are not explored in RPGs pretty much at all.
The cyberpunk subgenre is a unique one: it encapsulates a lot of different types of stories — we had political thrillers, romances, comedies, detective stories, and elements of horror in Cyberpunk 2077, so we were on the lookout for something that would naturally expand what we’ve already done. And this is when the inspiration for the movie Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and many other spy stories, came in. So we decided to give a spy-thriller story a shot, as it gives us a great opportunity to provide gamers with a new and fresh experience.
One thing that pay a lot of attention to at CD Projekt RED is creating characters. This expansion is very much built around the NPCs players will meet — and the relationships they forge with them. We have Solomon Reed, a NUSA sleeper agent who takes his duties seriously and believes in the mission he is trusted with, and Idris really brings this character to life.
We also have So Mi (Songbird), a mysterious netrunner who contacts V with an offer to help them — but So Mi also needs to help herself. Then there’s Rosalind Myers: president of the NUSA, a one-of-a-kind politician, tough and able to take care of herself. Besides them, there are a few more prominent figures in this expansion, but I will leave them to be discovered by our players.
Q. With the game being a spy-thriller, is stealth going to be a focus or requirement throughout Phantom Liberty - or will players still be able to batter their way through content with violence?
Pawel Sasko: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is an RPG and player expression through playstyles was important for us. So you still have a choice of how to deal with obstacles and enemies in quests. Stealth is of course an option — it may seem pretty alluring, seeing as the expansion is a spy thriller, but it’s also perfectly fine to use the rest of V’s abilities.
So if you prefer to play as a strong solo and shoot your way through, that’s an option. So is netrunning through your path or using stealth skills. This remains entirely up to the player. The playstyles known from Cyberpunk 2077 exist in Phantom Liberty, but building a playstyle definitely feels refreshed and expanded.
Q. Where in the game does this story take place? Will new players be able to dive right in, or will they need to go deeper into the game first? Are there any requirements in a playthrough to unlock this story, or is that still to be worked on?
Pawel Sasko: For those new to Cyberpunk 2077, I totally recommend starting from the very beginning! Start by creating your own V, diving into the story of the base game, seeing what it has to offer, meeting Johnny Silverhand for the first time, finding your way through Night City — and only after all that getting a call from a mysterious netrunner who is offering to help you, which is how Phantom Liberty kicks off.
For this call to happen, you will need to advance through the main storyline first. You’ll need to get to Pacifica and meet with the Voodoo Boys. Whether you decide to move on to Dogtown to discover Phantom Liberty right away or stick to the main storyline of the base game — that’s up to you.
But that’s one option, the other is to hit the “Skip to Phantom Liberty” button after launching the game and check out the expansion immediately. If you’ve played Cyberpunk 2077 before, especially if you’ve played it more than once, this might be something you’d be looking for. In this variant, we simulate the save game for you and finish only the quests that are necessary — that means you’re able to play Phantom Liberty immediately together with the rest of the base game.
We didn’t forget about Cyberpunk 2077 veterans, either — any save made before the end of the game will allow you to jump into the game and, depending on your progress, continue with the main story or directly start the expansion.
Q. On that topic, how will you be tying this new narrative into the base game? Were there already hints in the game that this story was going to take place?
Pawel Sasko: Phantom Liberty is a story that unravels in parallel to the main storyline, and you’ll discover various references and callbacks to missions and characters from the base game as you play.
Most of the new story takes place in new locations, though some parts actually take you back to areas of Night City you already know — we really wanted to make sure that Dogtown feels like it has always been part of the Cyberpunk 2077 experience, and for someone playing the base game and expansion as a whole, it will look like one consistent piece of art.
The expansion starts off with a conversation with the mysterious netrunner, Songbird, who claims she can offer V a cure for the Relic. This is how the whole of Phantom Liberty’s story is connected to the base game. The stakes are high, and the player’s choices may result in a new development in regard to the ending of the base game, but I’m not going to reveal anything more!
Phantom Liberty was designed from the get-go to feel like a native part of Cyberpunk 2077, but it has its own distinct feel and vibe, which is very much reflected in the story.
Q. One of the great things about Cyberpunk used elements from games like System Shock and Prey (2017). In particular, the ability to use environmental storytelling, and having a variety of ways to complete objectives. Will that continue in Phantom Liberty?
Pawel Sasko: Yes, that obviously is the case with Phantom Liberty just as it was with the base game. Non-linear storytelling, the possibility for the player to craft the story the way they want, and to find multiple solutions to problems that the story focuses on — those are the cornerstones of how we write storylines.
This hasn’t changed with Phantom Liberty. In fact, we might have even gone a bit further with that kind of approach, meaning that the story the expansion brings and the characters… Not much turns out to be like what it seemed initially, so the decisions you need to make might seem even more significant than they were in the base game. V needs to make tough choices to eventually be able to solve the main quest — one way or another. So, the shortest possible answer is: yes, indeed.
Q. The branching narrative of Cyberpunk 2077 and how every minute choices you make throughout the story rippled into the game’s climactic finale was one of its strongest aspects. How do you aim to evolve upon this with the upcoming expansion?
Pawel Sasko: I’d really like to not spoil anything, so let’s just say that indeed, some choices you make on the way will impact how the story unravels in Phantom Liberty. But of course, not all will have the kind of impact that would branch the story entirely. There are some significant, branching choices in the expansion, but naturally, I would not like to spoil any of them for our players.
Phantom Liberty is an interesting blend of the story branching we previously exercised in The Witcher 3 expansions (Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine), mixed with the distinct storytelling of Cyberpunk 2077, all combined with the unique vibe of a spy thriller. It still feels familiar (as it was designed to coexist with the base game), but brings plenty of new things to the table.
On the other hand, it’s that same V, same Johnny Silverhand, same Night City, and the same us who try to tell the story in the best way possible. So we believe we succeeded in both telling a new, exciting story as well as staying faithful to what we believe players enjoy the most about the narrative.
Q. With any good expansion, updates and overhauls tend to come with them. Are there going to be any major changes to the gameplay coming in this update?
Pawel Sasko: We’ve spent a significant amount of time and effort upgrading our gameplay and we would need a whole separate interview to dive into each section. Most of the significant systems in the game have been changed, revamped, or significantly updated, from how the police behave and react to V’s actions, to cyberware, perks, UI, and more.
But let’s just focus on three of the most important ones, starting with the overhauled police system. We believe we’ve managed to make it much more realistic and believable.
In essence: the more crimes you commit and the more aggressive V’s behavior is, the higher your heat level, and with that — the tougher opponents the police (or Barghest — the militia that runs Dogtown) will send your way. Ultimately, push your heat level high enough and you’ll have to battle the uber-elite MaxTac, and facing them is sort of a mini boss-fight that dynamically spawns in the world.
The next thing is vehicle chases and vehicle combat. For vehicle combat, there are two exciting ways to play: either by using your own handguns and rifles and shooting through the front windshield (or from the seat of your motorbike), or by triggering mounted Gatling guns or rocket launchers attached to certain vehicles.
Some of these can be acquired as a quest reward in the expansion, while others can be bought on the AutoFixer website. Your enemies can also now execute new maneuvers thanks to upgraded AI and also use weapons while chasing you. And besides guns, you’ll also be able to access vehicle quickhacks too, giving netrunner builds more options when behind the wheel.
The third large feature I want to touch on is the perk system — it has been almost completely overhauled. We have moved away from perks that give minor stat changes in favor of actual skills that players can unlock and execute in the game (like dashing in the air). This has allowed us to create more consistent and clear build paths that ultimately lead to the fulfillment of the fantasy of being a mercenary in the cyberpunk world.
In addition to that, during Phantom Liberty, V is given access to a new skill tree: the Relic tree. This is only available with the expansion and provides a range of new skills, including ones that impact certain pieces of cyberware. This tree works a little differently than the others, as instead of putting points into it from leveling up, you’ll need to explore Dogtown to find specific Relic upgrade points.
Q. Speaking of changes - when will Cyberpunk 2077 receive a third-person option? What’s the point of looking rad if we can’t see it?
Pawel Sasko: Cyberpunk 2077 was designed around the first-person perspective, so third-person is not something we will be introducing. We stick to first-person as we believe that it is the right choice for this particular game, story, and the way we try to engage and immerse players into the world we’ve created.
Q. It’s been said that Phantom Liberty will be the only expansion for Cyberpunk 2077. How long can players expect it to be? Is it a few missions, or something closer to the scope of the base game?
Pawel Sasko: Phantom Liberty is a proper CD Projekt RED expansion with a substantial main storyline and compelling side content that guarantee a significant amount of gameplay. Just focusing on quests connected to the main or side characters will give you a lot of new experiences.
But on top of that, we also have new infinite activities: Airdrops — where you’ll likely have to fight off Barghest mercs to claim air packages being dropped across Dogtown — and courier missions, where you’re tasked with procuring certain cars and delivering them to a particular location. Courier missions in particular are a great showcase for vehicle chases and car combat. Both of these infinite loops are highly randomized, providing different challenges and permutations to the player, so you can have as much fun with them as you desire.
Dogtown itself is also an amazing new place to explore. Sure, Night City is dangerous, but Dogtown takes it even further. It has its secrets and dark sides that we encourage players to explore. The stadium, former spas, hotel district, and many other areas all offer a different feel, so also getting to know your way around the district can definitely soak up a lot of hours if exploration is your thing.
Q. One of our writers has played Cyberpunk 2077 for more than 100 hours. They wanted to know if we can expect a similar level of self-contained narratives found in the side gigs in Phantom Liberty?
Pawel Sasko: 100 hours is nice, a respectable number, congrats! It’s always great to hear about players who have spent so much time in the world we’ve built, and there are even those who’ve spent over 2000 hours in the game, which is amazing! But back to your question: the answer is “yes”.
We treat Phantom Liberty just as we treated the base game when it comes to narrative (and other aspects as well). So whether it’s the main storyline, side quests, gigs, or some minor encounters in the game, we try to make each of them unique so that they add extra understanding to the world of Cyberpunk 2077 — be it in large or small amounts.
That means giving more insight into how Night City and Dogtown work, or simply creating short, standalone stories where you learn more about some inhabitants of the area.
Q. Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty have a very sharp aesthetic. What were the overall inspirations for the visuals in the base game, and how are you looking to evolve that in Phantom Liberty?
Pawel Sasko: When creating Dogtown and its unique character, we had a bunch of things in mind. One of these was to create something new and with a different vibe — instantly distinguishable from what players have already experienced in Night City. At the same time, we wanted to stay consistent. We needed to come up with something original that also feels like a natural part of what players already know.
We decided to push what Night City was even further — more ruthless, more chaotic, more unforgiving. Both in the narrative and visually. What you see in Dogtown resembles its nature really well; you see what the place was supposed to be, so huge hotels, shiny spas, a pyramid covered with neon, but then it’s all turned into squats or simply abandoned and in decay.
We tried to stay faithful to what we’ve created before and add to it. The visual aspect of the main game was inspired by cyberpunk genre classics like Blade Runner, Akira, and Ghost in the Shell, but also real-life locations like Chinatown districts in the US or some Asian cities — Hong Kong, Tokyo, and many others. Phantom Liberty and Dogtown add this extra layer of harshness and decay to all that.
Q. Cyberpunk 2077 had a bit of a rough launch, which was improved through future updates. Do you see Phantom Liberty as a sort of “Redemption Arc” for the game, ahead of the future sequel?
Pawel Sasko: It’s not up to us, but to our players to decide. After the release, we put a massive effort into the game, and through large patches and updates we have brought it to a solid state that millions of players are enjoying. But all that effort is really hard to even compare when we talk about Phantom Liberty.
The expansion not only brings a new storyline, new characters, and content, but also includes overhauled major features in the game, and these are also upgrading the base game too. Large, dedicated teams have put a lot of heart into this expansion, and we can only wish our players are going to appreciate it and enjoy it.
Q. Before the Cyberpunk title, you were well-known for medieval fantasy, thanks to the Witcher franchise. Were there any major difficulties in shifting aesthetics and gameplay designs?
Pawel Sasko: Well, it was definitely different and a challenge on so many levels!
Let’s begin with the aesthetics and generally how the world is built. First of all, The Witcher is really broad, with large spaces mostly filled with forests, meadows, wilderness, that sort of environment. It’s low density, but large in scale. Cyberpunk 2077 features a pulsating, dynamic, but also brutal city.
It’s very dense with tall buildings, and layers of content on top of one another. Dogtown is just that, but even more. This means that players experience the game differently, the paths they are able to take are as different as they can be, and that affects many aspects of the game: from art, UI, level design, character, and perks to the story and many more.
Gameplay-wise, the differences are also rather obvious, starting with switching to the first-person perspective. We believe it opens new ways of engaging and immersing players into the game, but it also has its own requirements. For example, in Cyberpunk 2077, the player takes, to an extent, the role of an actor in a scene. It is up to our quest and cinematic designers to direct them in a way that on one hand doesn’t limit them, but on the other — allows us to tell the story we wish to tell in the way that we want to tell it.
Then we have other aspects of the game, like combat. In Cyberpunk 2077, one way to engage enemies is through a wide array of ranged weapons. The Witcher series is of course mostly melee. Cyberpunk 2077 has a range of stealth options, including interacting with some objects in the environment or hacking your enemies’ cyberware, while The Witcher is mostly about confronting the bad guys while wielding one of your good old swords. Cyberpunk 2077 also has loads of different types of vehicles, from nimble and maneuverable motorcycles to large trucks, while The Witcher has, well, Roach and a boat.
All of these aspects require a different approach, but then the ability to work on something so different and new also gives us an opportunity to take our creativity to a different level, fuel it up with some new challenges, and just grow.
Q. From the previews we saw of Phantom Liberty, the Dogtown area looks to be a more fleshed-out Pacifica, giving us a glimpse at NC’s underbelly. How does this new area differ from other major locations in the base game?
Pawel Sasko: In fact, you could call Dogtown the underbelly of Night City. The story behind the area is: Dogtown was supposed to be a luxurious district that would attract the wealthiest of Night City with its resorts, spas, hotels — you name it. But then the Unification War happened and that dream turned into a nightmare.
Dogtown has been taken over by Kurt Hansen, a former military man, currently an arms dealer, and, more importantly, a warlord. Hansen controls his own militia, Barghest, and through it, he runs Dogtown single-handedly. The district is walled off; the NCPD have no access and for anyone else it is also strictly limited.
What Hansen did to Dogtown is he scrapped it of any dreams it had. The stadium that was to be the crown jewel of the district became a black market, offering any kind of supplies — legal or illegal. Instead of the police, there’s a trigger-happy militia. In the place of the wealthy guests and tourists, there are gang members strolling the streets.
But in the end, where do you think V (and Johnny) would feel more in place — among the bold and the beautiful, or with the street kids?
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PCs on September 26, 2023. If you plan on playing on PC, here's what you need to know about system requirements.
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