Cyberpunk 2 Director Says There'd Be No Point In Giving Players... (2026)

Jackie Welles, for some gamers, is one of the most beloved videogame companions of all time: A solid dude of hidden depths whose fate was sealed the moment he crossed paths with V. He made enough of an impact that former PC Gamer writer Emma Matthews called him Cyberpunk 2077's best character, and bemoaned the limited amount of time we got with him before, well, you know.

But not everyone agrees that we should've had more time to spend with Jackster—including Cyberpunk 2 creative Igor Sarzynski, who says Jackie might've been a great guy but he wasn't really part of the story.

"So would extending Act 1 (before the heist) in CP77 make the game better?" Sarzynski wrote on Bluesky (via FRVR). "No it wouldn't. It's like saying we should spend more time on Tatooine with farmer Luke before he got involved with all this Jedi stuff."

Sarzynski also pointed out that while some players ended up losing Jackie very quickly, others (including, possibly, yours truly) "manage to squeeze 20h out of Watson," Cyberpunk 2077's opening area, where players are confined before embarking on the big Arasaka heist. And because the goals and motivations of that area are very vaguely defined, prolonging it "would result in [a] meandering, unfocused experience."

So would extending Act 1 (before the heist) in CP77 make the game better? 1. No it wouldn't. It's like saying we should spend more time on Tatooine with farmer Luke before he got involved with all this Jedi stuff. (1/3)

He also rejected suggestions that Cyberpunk 2077's Jackie-heavy prologue montage is built on cut content, saying CD Projekt "always planned it like this."

"Is it enough time to bond with Jackie? For some it is, for some it isn't," Sarzynski wrote. "All things considered I think we struck a good balance."

Sarzynski's thread naturally drew some replies from fans convinced that he's wrong, and he made some equally interesting points in response, such as saying that most players need a specific, measurable goal to pursue in order to properly advance the game, which is why V has no progression in the game's first act.

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V also has no progression in Act 1 because the *actual* story - Terminal sickness, what do i do with the time i have left? What does it mean to live and to become immortal? - hasn't started yet. Yes, i'm saying this is all by design and Act 1 being longer would not benefit the main story.

Source: PC Gamer