GDC 2025 Session Viewer

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities when designing an ending for a branching interactive narrative, illustrated by the design process behind the endings of Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. We will provide the audience with the fundamentals of how to end a narrative in a way that suits genre and story, before showing how to adapt and expand them for modern video games as a unique medium. Attendees will gain practical insights into balancing player expectations with narrative integrity, and learn strategies to create impactful game endings that honor the story's core themes and support each other in meaningful ways. The session will provide concrete examples from the development of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, illustrating how to navigate design challenges, integrate player choices, and maintain narrative coherence.

Takeaway

Attendees will gain practical insights into balancing player expectations with narrative integrity and learn strategies to create impactful game endings that honor the story's core themes and support each other in meaningful ways. The session will provide concrete examples from the development of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, illustrating how to navigate design challenges, integrate player choices, and maintain narrative coherence.

Intended Audience

This talk is intended for people interested in storytelling and stories in general, with a focus on the interactive medium of games. While no prior knowledge is required, the methods described are tailored to people working on game narratives, such as game writers, narrative designers, mission designers, cinematic designers, and quest designers.