If Dead Island can have a GOTY edition, I guess anyone can.
Following the release of its Phantom Liberty expansion and another patch, troubled open-world RPG Cyberpunk 2077 will be rereleased in a Game of the Year Edition, CD Projekt CEO Adam Kiciński told investors during a recent call. As reported by Polish news site Stockwatch, and spotted by Insider Gaming, Cyberpunk 2077 GOTY Edition is scheduled for a 2023 release.
"It's a natural order of things," Kiciński said, per Google Translate. "It was the same with The Witcher 3, which after both expansions was finally released as a Game of the Year Edition and has been operating on the market ever since. The same can be expected in this case. It's quite obvious."
While calling a rerelease a "Game of the Year" edition made sense when Half-Life was being repackaged with some extras and a sticker on the front of the box noting it had been awarded game of the year by "over 40 publications", these days it's just a fancy name for a deluxe rerelease. Given that Dead Island, Far Cry 6, and both of the mediocre Oblivion-likes in the Two Worlds series received GOTY Editions, it's been a while since the name meant much.
Cyberpunk 2077 has, however, been generously reappraised by many following its disastrous launch. Thanks to lowered expectations and a discounted price, its Steam user rating climbed upwards. More recently the 1.6 update and a boost in interest thanks to the well-received Netflix anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has seen its sales soar, pushing CD Projekt to the best third-quarter the company has ever had.
"It is much easier to build further positive messages on positive sentiment," Kiciński told shareholders.
Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion will apparently be a "spy-thriller" set in a new district of Night City, with a new cast of characters—although Johnny Silverhand will return, as Keanu Reeves confirmed during a livestream. It'll also feature Sasha Grey as a radio DJ. Following that, Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a full sequel, though we suspect CD Projekt will be taking their time on that one.
