There’s a surprise awaiting  Cyberpunk 2077 players today – the freshly released Update 2.2, which introduces plenty of community-requested features — and more! The result of a close collaboration with the studio Virtuos, this update takes “Express Yourself” to a whole new level. To share more about the update, CD Projekt Red’s Associate Game Director Paweł Sasko and Lead Producer Pauline Debroux from Virtuos stopped by to provide some behind-the-scenes scoops into how we brought this update to life.

 “The world of Cyberpunk 2077 is fascinating, rich and varied – and there is still so much space to create rewarding and inspiring content and features for our players,” said Sasko.  “When I look at our audience, I see there is nothing more exciting for players than the ability to express themselves in the game – through a unique looking V, through their vehicles, or even their art in the form of in-game photography.”

Let’s dive into those features he mentioned!

Enhanced Photo Mode

We’ve hosted several Photo Mode contests in the past, and we always love to see what unique shots the community creates — which is why it seemed like a no-brainer to add in even more features! This particular addition was a close collaboration with our community. “Our Community team gathered feedback from virtual photographers who know our game very well, and out of the provided list of requests we built a roadmap of features and implemented most of it,” said Sasko “The most highly requested changes have been added to the game, and the UI has been reworked and upgraded.”

The Cyberpunk 2077 community was instrumental when creating the original list, and even later, according to Debroux: “When work on the features reached the Beta stage, we shared the Update 2.2 build with a small team of virtual photographers and gathered their feedback. We knew that no one else could provide as accurate insights as they could about whether we were on the right track.”

Not to mention, those photos you take can now be hung up in any of V’s apartments. Each of V’s apartments is now equipped with a new product from Kiroshi — the SmartFrames, which allow you to display digital art. Whether it’s picturesque panoramas, street photography, or couple photos ahead of your partner’s visit, anything is possible!

New Character Customization Options

Style over substance is key in Night City, which means you can’t ever have too many ways to customize your V. Giving more freedom when role-playing was important to us when adding new features to the character customization.

“We wanted to give our players the option to make V look like a member of a gang or corporation, or to build a specific backstory for their character,” said Debroux !That served as the inspiration to add a bullet scar in the middle of the forehead, scars that look like burn wounds, or remnants from a bad accident.”

Sasko added: “With Update 2.2, you can make a fairly contemporary looking character, with tasteful face makeup and lipstick, or instead cover yourself with logotypes and brands, like a walking billboard – you can transform yourself into a commodity in this dystopian world, if that is the unique backstory of your V.”

Alongside new cosmetic cyberware and tattoos, we’ve introduced a new randomizer that gives you even more granular control when creating a character! “We discovered that this method is not only much faster, but also a more appealing and pleasant way to create a character. As a player, you can lock any feature and keep randomizing those that you want to iterate on, until your V looks exactly how you want,” explained Sasko.

Car Customization

You can’t properly express yourself without giving your ride some personality as well! In Cyberpunk 2077, we previously added CrystalCoat tech to Rayfield cars, which gives players the ability to change their paint jobs and headlight colors. But, we wanted to go bigger: “When enhancing our game with any new feature, I always try to pay attention to the big picture, making sure it fits the larger gameplay loop, theme of the game, and complements already existing lore,” ,” said Sasko. “We’d already come up with CrystalCoat technology for Rayfield, and when creating Update 2.2 we agreed that this luxury brand should partner with other labels that produce and sell high-end cars. Now, your Herrera, Mizutani, Quadra and Villefort vehicles can all get custom paint jobs!”

Debroux added, “We didn’t stop there. A completely new addition is TwinTone, a feature recently introduced by Kiroshi, that expanded V’s database — and allows players to scan and save visual profiles of the vehicles. When passing a striking vehicle in Night City, you can save its color scheme — if it’s a generic one, you can use it on any car. If it’s a unique one, you can apply it to the corresponding car model. Together, CrystalCoat and TwinTone work in unison to add an additional layer to an already very rich game.”

We’re thrilled to have worked with Virtuos in bringing new features to players — and some surprises, so keep your eyes peeled!

“We knew exactly how special this opportunity was,” said Debroux. “We collaborated closely with CD Projekt Red to design each feature and infuse it with a fresh perspective wherever we could, all while staying true to the identity of Cyberpunk 2077. Each feature and asset evolved over the course of the collaboration until we were all satisfied both with the quality and the quantity. Working together was a fantastic experience, and we can’t wait to see how players make use of the new features we’re putting in their hands.”

Update 2.2 for Cyberpunk 2077 is out today for Xbox Series X|S, and new players can even snag a discount of up to 55% on the store — so don’t wait to try it out!

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (Xbox Series X|S)

CD PROJEKT RED

☆☆☆☆☆
6650

★★★★★

$79.99

$47.99

Get it now

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is only playable on Xbox Series X|S as it contains content not available on Xbox One.

ABOUT THE GAME
Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure RPG set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour, and body modification. Play as V, a cyberpunk mercenary, and take on the most powerful forces of the city in a fight for glory and survival. Legends will be made here. What will yours be?

THE ULTIMATE CYBERPUNK 2077 EXPERIENCE
In the Ultimate Edition, immerse yourself in every story the world of the dark future has to offer, featuring every gameplay update and all previously released content in one package — including the acclaimed spy-thriller expansion Phantom Liberty.

CREATE YOUR OWN CYBERPUNK
Become an urban outlaw equipped with cybernetic enhancements and build your legend on the streets of Night City.

EXPLORE THE CITY OF THE FUTURE
Night City is packed to the brim with things to do, places to see, and people to meet. And it’s up to you where to go, when to go, and how to get there.

BUILD YOUR LEGEND
Go on daring adventures and build relationships with unforgettable characters whose fates are shaped by the choices you make.

DECIDE HOW THE STORY ENDS
Your choices in the base game and the spy-thriller adventure Phantom Liberty create interweaving webs of consequences, ones that shape the fate of the characters around you — and your own.

CLAIM EXCLUSIVE ITEMS
Claim in-game swag & digital goodies inspired by CD PROJEKT RED games as part of the My Rewards program.

IMPORTANT: While Cyberpunk 2077 base game is available on Xbox One, this version of the game received its last patch on November 8th, 2022 and is no longer supported. An Xbox Series X|S console is required in order to download and apply Cyberpunk 2077 patches released after that date — as well as to buy and play the Phantom Liberty expansion pack.