Cyberpunk 2077 quest director says Deus Ex was a big inspiration - and not just the sunglasses

Cyberpunk 2077 represents a major change for CD Projekt Red, and not just because it's a sci-fi RPG rather than a fantasy RPG like The Witcher series. It's a first-person immersive sim set in a neon-lit city, and as quest director Mateusz Tomaskiewicz explained in a recent interview with AreaJugones (run through Google Translate), it's aiming for a very different experience than The Witcher.

"We are trying to catch what worked with The Witcher and also work on the variety and non-linearity of the gameplay," Tomaskiewicz said. Where The Witcher strived to marry a massive open world to a strong, central story, Tomaskiewicz says he was inspired by games like Deus Ex, Vampire Bloodlines, and even The Elder Scrolls while working on Cyberpunk. Incidentally, he was probably happy to learn that Bloodlines is now getting a sequel almost 15 years later

"I would say the Deus Ex franchise, especially the original Deus Ex," Tomaskiewicz said of his inspirations. "This one had a great impact on me as a developer and player back when I played it for the first time many years ago. And what I really liked about that game was completing the missions in many ways. It was not only based on dialogue decisions, since you also had the things that were on the map and its different points of entry that allowed you to get into buildings, as well as elements that opened different paths in history." 

Quest design will be critical to Cyberpunk 2077's storytelling. As quest designer Patrick Mills previously said, all the game's side quests will feature details and production values "as high as, or close to, the critical path." Mills also said every side quest "has to have something you've never seen before," which dovetails nicely with the open-ended Deus Ex approach Tomaskiewicz described. 

Cyberpunk 2077 will reportedly release by 2021, alongside another unannounced game from CD Projekt Red

Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

Latest in Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk 2077: Johnny Silverhand sits at a restaurant table with his hands together next to a plate of food
Cyberpunk 2 associate game director reveals his greatest development secret: 10 hour loops of music like "Epic Sax Guy" that "gives me insane focus and clarity"
The Witcher 2
Before he was Cyberpunk 2's associate director and was just "employee #86," CDPR dev says it took him 46 tries to beat an infamous boss in The Witcher 2: "I was losing my mind"
Cyberpunk 2077
Over 4 years after its launch, Cyberpunk 2077 hits 'Overwhelmingly Positive' on Steam: "Never dreamt it will be possible"
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty screenshots
If Night City is the "main antagonist" of Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 4's Continent could easily follow suit
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty Screenshot
Cyberpunk 2077's surprise car customization update was co-developed by the Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake devs, lets you lower your wanted level on the fly GTA-style
Cyberpunk 2077 DLC screenshot
Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a surprise update a year after its once-final update, even after CDPR moved basically every dev to other games: "Sometimes, you want to do it ONE MORE time!"
Latest in News
Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams in The Evil Dead
Deep-pocketed Evil Dead fans can buy the original Necronomicon, Deadite Linda's head, and more as special effects artist auctions off his personal collection
Skyrim
Skyrim and Fallout veteran left Bethesda after 14 years because he'd already made 3 runaway GotY winners: "That's a really hard thing to top"
Kingdom Come: Deliverance had to add complex pathfinding for just 2 NPCs that owned horses: "If you want to do this feature, you have to support it"
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again fans are loving Punisher and Matt Murdock's reunion, calling it the "best scene" of the show so far
Zack Snyder's Justice League
Zack Snyder celebrates 4 years of the Snyder Cut of Justice League: "Still humbled by the fact that this exists at all"
Coen fighting a monster during the day in the cinematic trailer for The Blood of Dawnwalker.
The Witcher 3 devs' new vampire RPG introduces new enemies - and even the devs are calling them "annoying little b*******s"