CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, released in 2015, has been criticized by some for its extreme length, and the developers have confirmed their next title won't be quite as long. During a stream following a recent Night City Wire event for Cyberpunk 2077, senior developer Patrick K. Mills discussed the The Witcher 3's impact on Cyberpunk 2077, due to release on November 19th.
Mills said, “We do know that the main story run in Cyberpunk 2077 is slightly shorter than The Witcher 3.” The developer did, however, assure players that there will still be plenty to do in the open-world title. "We want you to see the whole story," Mills added. "So, we did shorten the main story, but we have lots to do."
While it’s positive that CD Projekt Red is taking previous feedback into consideration when developing new titles, it still may be disappointing to hear that Cyberpunk 2077 won't be as long of an experience as The Witcher 3. Shortening a game doesn’t always mean better quality, even if the game in question is long in comparison to other titles. There’s a chance the story may feel rushed or incomplete if the game is too short, after all, or players will be disappointed when they learn what sorts of opportunities were cut for the sake of length. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, CD Projekt Red may be focusing on the wrong thing.
What The Witcher 3's Big Problem Really Was
It’s true that The Witcher 3 is a very long game. According to Forbes, the average player will spend around 70 hours on the campaign and exploring the open world, though it’s possible to get through the main story in as little in 25 hours if players rush. However, CD Projekt Red itself has said that, in total, it could take players up to 200 hours to do everything the game has to offer, certainly making it one of the longest games available. But having a lot to do and explore isn’t a bad thing – it means there’s endless opportunity for gameplay and players will definitely get their money’s worth.
But the real problem lies in what players are forced to play through and how interactive and engaging the game remains. Take a game like Red Dead Redemption 2. Granted, the title isn’t as long as The Witcher 3 – estimates suggest that RDR2 takes players an average of 60 hours to complete everything, though some players have said they’ve spent over 100 hours playing. How long it takes to complete the main campaign is really dependent on how much the player chooses to go off course and explore the open world or stick to the missions and push through the campaign. Despite its length, RDR2 hasn't faced much criticism for how long it takes to complete given how ground-breaking the game is considered. There’s always alot that players can come back to and see later, even if they've done the main campaign. While some people have pointed out the the first ten hours of the the story feel like a drawn-out tutorial, there is always the option to do something else (if that activity has been unlocked).
Red Dead Redemption 2 is evidence of the importance of having great variety in what players can do in an open world, while also coupling those activities with an engaging story campaign. If there’s little to do or it gets repetitive, then the length of a game easily becomes a problem. But if there’s always something keeping players on their toes, like a random stranger encounter in RDR2, or a variety in missions enticing players to continue the campaign, then the game won’t feel glacial or like it’s extending on too far.
Granted, there is plenty to do in The Witcher 3, but had the open world and missions been more diverse, or if players had more varieties of activities to engage in, players would have been more entertained when not doing progressing the story. Similarly, had the main campaign been reduced and more elements made optional in the open world, players may have had less of a problem with the game's length. At least CD Projekt Red is listening to gamers’ feedback, which provides hope that future titles in The Witcher series (and Cyberpunk 2077) will improve upon its predecessor.
Source: Forbes