When CD Projekt Red showcased the new trailer during E3 2019 for the highly anticipated and much hyped Cyberpunk 2077, the crowd went insane. After pre-orders for Cyberpunk 2077 went live, we were quick enough to spot something interesting on the pre-order page. The question is: will Cyberpunk 2077 come on multiple discs?
E3 2019 has only just started and CD Projekt Red’s segment during Microsoft’s press conference was arguably the best thing about E3 2019. We got to see a ton of new Cyberpunk 2077 information including a cinematic trailer with Keanu Reeves.
We also got a solid confirmation on Cyberpunk 2077’s release date after which pre-orders for the game went live. Right off the bat, there are several interesting things to note on Cyberpunk 2077’s pre-order page.
If you go ahead and click on “See what’s inside”, the website will open up a screen that shows all the physical items that will come with Cyberpunk 2077. According to the website:
The game comes with the following physical items:
CASE WITH GAME DISCS
Another interesting point to note is that this only appears with the PS4 or Xbox One screen of the pre-order page. The PC version of Cyberpunk 2077 does not show “CASE WITH GAME DISCS”.
This heavily implies that the physical version of Cyberpunk 2077 will come with multiple discs when it is launched. These discs can contain anything from the game’s installation files to bonus material such as “making of Cyberpunk 2077” or even modding tools.
In an age when everything is moving to the more digital side, when files are being stored on the cloud to be accessed anywhere, and when games can now be streamed like movies… why would CD Projekt Red even bother to ship multiple discs for Cyberpunk 2077? The answer isn’t simple. There are multiple possible reasons for it.
It is actually not uncommon for video game developers to ship games on multiple discs. This is something that used to happen a lot back in the early days of gaming. It even happens nowadays with some modern games but not as common though.
Old consoles and PCs had limited drive capacities. This was the primary reason why games had to be shipped onto multiple discs. Another reason was the bonus content. Most of the time, developers included bonus content for players to enjoy. This added depth to the game, players would feel they got something special for their money.
One of the recent more prominent games to ship with multiple discs was Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption II. Another game was MachineGames and Bethesda’s Wolfenstein: The New Order.
Since CD Projekt Red hasn’t revealed the system requirements for PC yet, we don’t know how much disc space Cyberpunk 2077 will require. The same goes for consoles. As mentioned earlier, multiple discs may contain installation files. Of course, this is excellent news for those who suffer from slow internet speeds.
They can simply use multiple discs for installation. If the game is big as CD Projekt Red touts it is, then multiple installation discs might be a solution.
Bonus content is also a plausible theory. Another possibility is that CD Projekt Red is including some kind of “REDkit” for Cyberpunk 2077. According to its Wiki:
The REDkit is a toolset created by CD Projekt RED for modders to allow them to create their own content for the PC version of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, such as new, non-linear adventures, new locations and much more.
Since we already know that Cyberpunk 2077 is built on the REDEngine, the inclusion of the REDkit doesn’t sound too ridiculous.
Of course, CD Projekt Red hasn’t officially mentioned anything regarding multiple discs for Cyberpunk 2077, all of this is speculation at this point. It is best to take all of this with at least a tiny grain of salt.
Pre-orders for Cyberpunk 2077 have gone live on Steam and the game’s official website but GOG is the best place to buy right now.
