Better late than never, Cyberpunk 2077 is getting its first major expansion, CD Projekt Red announced in a Twitch livestream today. It’s called Phantom Liberty, it’s out next year, and it will feature the return of Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand. It won’t, however, be available on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.
That last snippet shouldn’t be too much of a shock, seeing as an intergenerational launch was perhaps most responsible for Cyberpunk 2077’s well-documented-woes. Following three delays, the open-world shooter finally hit PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in December 2020. On next-gen consoles and high-end PCs, it worked (mostly) as intended. But on last-gen consoles, it was a buggy, subpar disaster. CD Projekt Red spent much of the following year getting Cyberpunk 2077 into working shape, which pushed back the timeline for its post-release content, including planned expansions.
Phantom Liberty is currently targeting a broad 2023 release date. CD Projekt Red didn’t show off much of the expansion today, but a minute-long teaser feaured voiceovers from two key characters. V, the person you play as, recites a militaristic oath for the New United States of America. Keanu Reeves, back in full ham-it-up mode, swoops in to say doing so is a “bad idea.” That dialogue is set over a few scenes of V using futuristic tech for crunchy combat sections. The whole Phantom Liberty expansion will explore a new location of Night City, per a CDPR press release.
I’ve said it before (like, five or six times by now, at least), but oh no, I am absolutely getting sucked back into Cyberpunk 2077.
Beyond the Phantom Liberty expansion, Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a wave of quality-of-life updates with its final “major” patch for last-gen consoles. That patch will also introduce a smattering of new content. You’ll be able to equip gear—a jacket and a shotgun—inspired by Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the Netflix anime set in the same world. (It’s due out on the streamer next week.) And there’s also an in-game arcade cabinet that’ll allow you to play a game called Roach Race. Hmm, I wonder what Ciri would think of that…
