Highlights
- Paweł Sasko shares the simple key to strong side quests in Cyberpunk 2077: have plenty of ideas, and only use the very best of them.
- The acceptance ratio for a good designer’s ideas is 5-10%, highlighting the importance of weeding out bad ideas.
- Quest designers at CD Projekt Red are pitching up to 20 ideas a day, which is why so many end up on the cutting room floor.
Cyberpunk 2077’s lead quest designer, Paweł Sasko, has revealed the process that makes the game’s side quests so strong. Even during the rough launch of Cyberpunk 2077, the side quests in the game stood out for their quality.
The comeback of Cyberpunk 2077 is incredible. It had one of the roughest launches in recent memory, which came as a huge disappointment given the enormous amount of hype for the game. Coming on the back of The Witcher 3, it was a huge blow to the goodwill that CD Projekt Red had spent years building with the gaming community. However, consistent patches, the Phantom Liberty expansion, and the 2.0 update for Cyberpunk 2077 have given the game a new lease of life. Whether it has reached its potential is another discussion entirely, but there’s no doubt that nowadays, it’s a ton of fun to play.
Cyberpunk 2077’s Kojima OD Easter Egg Explained
Cyberpunk 2077 is full of hidden cameos and Easter Eggs, but players believe they’ve found one related to Hideo Kojima’s upcoming horror title OD.
In a recent interview with PC Gamer at GDC, Paweł Sasko, who served as the lead quest designer on Cyberpunk 2077, confirmed the secret to ensuring that the side quests were consistently great. The solution is simple – just have a ton of ideas, and use only the very best. According to Sasko, “A good designer has an acceptance ratio of their ideas of between five to 10%,” and “If someone has 10%, this is probably one of the best people we have in the team.” The quest designers on the game are tasked with writing up to 20 pitches a day, and then the very best of those are chosen to be developed into side quests in Cyberpunk 2077.
Why Are Side Quests in Cyberpunk 2077 So Good?
On the surface, the mantra of “don’t use bad ideas” isn’t exactly rocket science. However, it’s a good reminder that even the most creative developers will have ideas that don’t quite work, and finding the most comprehensive method to weed these out will always produce the best end results. It’s certainly an interesting glimpse into the development process of Cyberpunk 2077. After all, now that the technical issues are ironed out, the side quests are a big part of the reason that the game is now one of the best action RPGs on the market.
A good designer has an acceptance ratio of their ideas of between five to 10%.
With Cyberpunk 2077 now done and dusted, attention turns to CD Projekt Red for any potential news on a sequel. It’s confirmed to be in development at the studio, with plenty of rumors and leaks so far for Cyberpunk 2077 sequel Project Orion. However, concrete news on the project has been a little harder to come by, with a release not expected for some time yet.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 is an RPG set in a future dystopian world. Players take up the role of V, who works as a mercenary in Night City in California. Gameplay involves branching dialogue, open-world exploration, character classes, and combat.
- Released
- December 10, 2020
- How Long To Beat
- 25 Hours
- Metascore
- 75
