CD Projekt Red’s Igor Sarzynski, now creative director on Cyberpunk 2, took to Bluesky on January 4, 2026 to address one of the most persistent criticisms of Cyberpunk 2077: that players didn’t spend enough time with Jackie Welles before his tragic death. His response? Extending Act 1 would be like spending more time watching Luke Skywalker farm moisture on Tatooine before he got involved with all that Jedi stuff. It’s a bold comparison that perfectly captures the narrative pacing debate at the heart of modern open-world RPGs.
The Jackie Problem
For context, Cyberpunk 2077’s Act 1 introduces players to V’s best friend Jackie Welles, a charismatic merc with big dreams of making it to the major leagues in Night City’s underworld. Depending on your chosen Life Path (Street Kid, Corpo, or Nomad), you meet Jackie through slightly different circumstances before a six-month time-skip montage shows the two becoming inseparable partners.
The problem is that Jackie dies at the end of Act 1 following the disastrous heist at Arasaka Tower. Players spend maybe 3-4 hours with him before his death, and that montage represents significant bonding time that happens off-screen rather than through active gameplay. Many fans argued that Jackie’s death lacks emotional impact because the game doesn’t give players enough time to genuinely care about him.
It’s a valid criticism that touches on fundamental questions about how RPGs balance pacing against emotional investment. Do you front-load dozens of hours establishing relationships before the inciting incident, risking players getting bored? Or do you trust your writing and performances to sell connections quickly, accepting that some players won’t feel invested?
Sarzynski’s Star Wars Defense
In his Bluesky post, Sarzynski directly addressed whether extending Act 1 would improve Cyberpunk 2077. His answer was an emphatic no, and he used Star Wars as his justification. Nobody complains that A New Hope doesn’t show us months of Luke Skywalker’s mundane moisture farming life before he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi and gets swept into galactic adventure. The story begins when Luke’s life changes, not years before that moment.
Sarzynski elaborated on the structural reasoning behind the decision. “The motivation/goal in this section of the game is pretty vague – ‘get to the top’ – which, prolonged and without stakes or pressure would result in meandering, unfocused experience,” he wrote. Act 1’s purpose is establishing V and Jackie’s partnership while building toward the heist that sets the actual story in motion. Extending it without clear dramatic stakes would dilute rather than enhance that foundation.
He acknowledged that some players bonded with Jackie during Act 1 while others didn’t, but concluded that “all things considered i think we struck a good balance.” That’s about as diplomatic as you can be when defending controversial creative decisions that pissed off a vocal portion of your audience.
The Montage Controversy
One persistent fan theory is that the six-month montage showing V and Jackie’s adventures represents cut content that was originally playable. Players see tantalizing glimpses of jobs, relationships developing, and the duo becoming legendary mercs, then immediately jump to the Arasaka heist. Surely those montage sequences were meant to be actual missions that got cut due to time or budget constraints, right?
Wrong, according to Sarzynski. “No, [the] half-year montage is not cut content,” he confirmed. “We always planned it like this.” That revelation will disappoint fans who hoped future updates or expansions might restore that “lost” content, but it makes sense from a storytelling perspective. The montage establishes passage of time and growing bonds efficiently without forcing players through repetitive low-stakes missions before the real story begins.
Think about it structurally. If those montage sequences were playable, Act 1 could easily balloon to 15-20 hours of gameplay doing side jobs with Jackie while gradually building reputation. That’s essentially what the main game becomes after Act 2 starts, except now V is working toward a concrete goal (removing Johnny Silverhand from their head) rather than vaguely trying to “make it big.” Repeating that structure twice would be redundant.
The Emotional Investment Problem
The core issue isn’t really about Jackie specifically. It’s about whether Cyberpunk 2077 successfully makes players care about its characters and stakes. Some players found Jackie immediately endearing through strong writing and voice acting from Jason Hightower. Others felt the relationship developed too quickly to feel genuine, making his death feel manipulative rather than tragic.
This divide is somewhat inevitable in open-world RPGs where players have wildly different engagement patterns. Someone who mainlines the story will have a completely different experience than someone who does every side quest and spends 20 hours exploring before advancing the plot. CD Projekt can’t perfectly calibrate emotional pacing for both playstyles simultaneously.
Act 2 does significant work showing V grieving Jackie’s death and helping other characters process their loss. Kerry, Misty, Jackie’s mother Mama Welles, and others all have questlines dealing with his absence. That continued presence suggests CDPR understood Jackie’s importance to the narrative even if they chose not to extend his on-screen time before death.
What This Means For Cyberpunk 2
Sarzynski’s comments are interesting because he’s now creative director on Cyberpunk 2, which means his philosophy about narrative pacing will directly influence the sequel. If he believes Act 1’s length was appropriate for 2077, we shouldn’t expect Cyberpunk 2 to feature a massively extended prologue showing relationship development before the inciting incident.
However, CD Projekt has acknowledged that Life Paths need greater impact in future games. The 2077 Life Paths (Street Kid, Corpo, Nomad) change the prologue and unlock occasional dialogue options, but don’t significantly alter the main story. Narrative director Philipp Weber stated in 2023 that the team wants Life Paths to “matter more” in Cyberpunk 2, with grander branching storylines determined by player choice.
That suggests the sequel might take a different approach where the opening is tailored more specifically to each path rather than quickly funneling everyone into the same narrative. You could have a shorter overall prologue but with more divergent experiences depending on your starting choice, creating replay value without forcing every playthrough through identical extended opening hours.
The Star Wars Comparison Holds Up
Sarzynski’s Star Wars analogy is actually quite apt when you think about it. A New Hope doesn’t waste time showing us Luke’s boring life before adventure calls. We see just enough to understand he’s restless and unfulfilled, then Artoo arrives with Princess Leia’s message and everything changes. The emotional weight comes from what Luke sacrifices (his aunt and uncle, his home, his simple life) rather than hours of screen time establishing those bonds.
Similarly, Cyberpunk 2077 shows us just enough of V and Jackie’s partnership to establish their dynamic, then Jackie’s death and Johnny Silverhand’s intrusion destroy that life and force V onto a desperate quest. The emotional impact comes from losing possibilities rather than extended relationship development. Some players connect with that approach, others don’t.
The comparison also highlights a broader truth about storytelling: length doesn’t automatically equal depth. You can spend 50 hours establishing a relationship and still fail to make audiences care if the writing and performances don’t land. Conversely, truly skilled storytelling can make audiences deeply invested in characters we’ve only known briefly. Jackie’s effectiveness isn’t purely a function of screen time.
The Redemption Arc Context
It’s worth remembering that Cyberpunk 2077’s current reputation as “one of the most beloved games of the last generation” (as FRVR describes it) required years of work following the catastrophic 2020 launch. The game was removed from PlayStation Store, faced class-action lawsuits, and became a punchline for broken AAA releases.
Director Pawel Sasko described the reception as “absolutely crushing” for the development team, especially for members who’d never experienced a successful launch. The subsequent patches, 2.0 overhaul, and Phantom Liberty expansion became what Sasko called “group therapy” as the team worked to prove they could deliver on the original vision.
That redemption arc succeeded largely by fixing technical issues and refining existing systems rather than fundamentally restructuring the narrative. The Act 1 pacing remained unchanged because CDPR stood behind those creative decisions even while acknowledging they’d failed in other areas. Sarzynski’s comments defending that choice suggest confidence in the narrative structure despite persistent fan criticism.
What We Know About Cyberpunk 2
Details about Cyberpunk 2 (formerly codenamed Project Orion) remain scarce, but a few morsels have emerged. Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith revealed the game features a new city alongside Night City that feels “like Chicago gone wrong.” Keanu Reeves has expressed interest in returning as Johnny Silverhand if the story calls for it. And co-CEO Michał Nowakowski suggested the game won’t launch until at least 2030 given CDPR’s typical 4-5 year development cycles.
The sequel will benefit from lessons learned during Cyberpunk 2077’s troubled development and redemption. CDPR has reorganized internally, changed production processes, and implemented new quality control measures. Whether that translates to a smoother launch or just different problems remains to be seen, but the studio is clearly determined not to repeat the 2020 disaster.
Multiplayer is also in development for Cyberpunk 2 after being cut from 2077 due to the disastrous launch state. How that integrates with the narrative-focused single-player experience will be fascinating to watch, especially given the difficulty of balancing story-driven RPG design with multiplayer systems.
FAQs About Cyberpunk 2077 and Jackie Welles
Why do fans want more time with Jackie in Cyberpunk 2077?
Many players felt Jackie’s death lacked emotional impact because the game only gives you 3-4 hours with him before he dies. The six-month time-skip montage shows bonding that happens off-screen rather than through gameplay.
Was the montage showing V and Jackie’s adventures originally playable content?
No, according to Cyberpunk 2 creative director Igor Sarzynski. The montage was always planned as a montage rather than cut missions or content that was removed from the final game.
How did Igor Sarzynski defend Act 1’s length?
Sarzynski compared extending Act 1 to showing more of Luke Skywalker farming on Tatooine before Star Wars’ adventure begins. The opening’s purpose is launching the main story, not prolonged setup without clear stakes.
Will Cyberpunk 2 have a longer prologue?
Unknown, but Sarzynski’s comments suggest the sequel won’t feature a massively extended opening. However, CD Projekt wants Life Paths to matter more with grander branching storylines than in 2077.
When does Cyberpunk 2 release?
CD Projekt co-CEO Michał Nowakowski suggested 2030 at the earliest, based on the studio’s typical 4-5 year development cycles. The game is currently in pre-production with major decisions like perspective still being finalized.
What is Cyberpunk 2 about?
Details are scarce, but the game will feature Night City and a new location described as “Chicago gone wrong” by Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith. Multiplayer is in development after being cut from 2077.
Do Life Paths matter in Cyberpunk 2077?
Life Paths (Street Kid, Corpo, Nomad) change the prologue and add occasional dialogue options, but don’t significantly alter the main story. CD Projekt wants to improve this in the sequel.
Will Keanu Reeves return for Cyberpunk 2?
Reeves has stated he “absolutely” wants to return as Johnny Silverhand if the story calls for it, but nothing has been confirmed about his involvement in the sequel.
Conclusion
Igor Sarzynski’s defense of Cyberpunk 2077’s Act 1 pacing won’t satisfy everyone who wanted more time with Jackie Welles before his death. But his Star Wars comparison perfectly captures the tension between narrative efficiency and emotional investment that every story-driven game must navigate. You can argue the choice succeeded or failed based on your personal experience, but the reasoning behind it is sound. Extending Act 1 without clear dramatic stakes would risk creating exactly the kind of meandering, unfocused experience that open-world games are frequently criticized for. Players complain when games waste their time with bloated prologues just as much as they complain when emotional beats don’t land because of insufficient setup. CD Projekt chose to trust their writing and performances to sell V and Jackie’s relationship quickly rather than front-loading dozens of hours before the real story begins. For some players that worked beautifully. For others, Jackie’s death felt unearned. Both reactions are valid, and no amount of additional hours could guarantee universal emotional investment. As Sarzynski moves forward on Cyberpunk 2, his comments suggest the sequel won’t fundamentally change this pacing philosophy. We’ll likely see a focused opening that establishes the protagonist and stakes before diving into the main narrative rather than an extended prologue. But with Life Paths playing a larger role and branching storylines providing more divergent experiences, the sequel may achieve better character investment through depth rather than length. Whether that approach succeeds won’t be known until at least 2030 when the game finally launches. Until then, we’ll keep arguing about whether Jackie deserved more screen time and whether farmer Luke would have made Star Wars better.