CD Projekt Red has opened up about the sheer amount of work that went into one of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty’s standout moments. In a new episode of AnsweRED, the official CD Projekt Red podcast, game director Gabe Amatangelo and creative director Igor Sarzyński discussed the Chimera tank boss fight, revealing it took two years and one of the most expensive art assets ever created to get it right.
A Nexus Point For Disciplines
Amatangelo described the Chimera as a perfect example of a project that brings together multiple disciplines at once. “Sometimes we’re making content that’s a nexus point of different disciplines – the Chimera is a great example of that,” he said. “It was gameplay, narrative, art, worldbuilding.”
He recalled working closely with art director Paweł Mielniczuk on the design. “I remember [art director] Paweł Mielniczuk and I were sending each other emails of various different military equipment of those guns, what are those called? they go ‘Brrrrrrrr’ [imitating a big machine gun],” he said. “We wanted it to terrify you when it came up.”
Two Years Of Refinement
The fight’s development timeline is the headline. Mielniczuk confirmed the team spent two years refining the encounter. “I think when we were iterating, it was two years to make this boss fight work,” he said. “We were iterating over and over.”
Amatangelo added that balancing the various demands was the challenge. “There were so many moving parts … Sometimes it was too gameplay, sometimes it was too narrative, sometimes too art demonstration. It was about striking a balance and I think the three of us got into it and went, ‘Okay beat by beat, let’s do this.'”
Four Redesigns
The team rebuilt the tank multiple times during development. Sarzyński said the redesigns touched the hardware itself. “We were doing the tank I think four times, changing equipment, the weapons,” Mielniczuk said.
Sarzyński added that the cost was substantial. “One of the most expensive art assets I think ever,” he said.
What The Fight Actually Does
The Chimera tank fight is a standout moment in the DLC expansion. The encounter is designed to feel overwhelming, matching the terror Amatangelo described.
Why It Matters
The Chimera tank fight stands out as one of the best moments in a DLC expansion packed full of them. Former Eurogamer managing editor Tom Senior described Phantom Liberty as a “remarkable expansion and bittersweet end” for the game.
The fight’s success is a reminder that spectacle costs money. But the developers sound proud of the work rather than apologetic about the price tag. They rebuilt the tank four times, iterated for two years, and spent heavily on the art asset.
The Team Behind It
The episode features contributions from three key figures:
- Gabe Amatangelo, game director
- Igor Sarzyński, creative director
- Paweł Mielniczuk, art director
Each brought a different discipline to the table, and each acknowledged the scale of the effort required.
The Cost Of Spectacle
The Chimera tank is expensive for a reason. The redesigns meant the team had to adjust the vehicle again and again until it worked.
The two-year timeline is unusual. The Chimera took nearly half a console generation to get right.
The Payoff
The fight delivers. It is a memorable sequence that reviewers cite as one of the highlights of the expansion.
The developers’ pride in the work is audible in the podcast. They talk about the beat-by-beat process with affection, not frustration.
The Bottom Line
Two years, four redesigns, and one of the most expensive art assets ever built all went into a single boss fight. That is a lot of investment for one encounter.
But the encounter works. It is a highlight of a DLC expansion that Tom Senior calls a remarkable achievement.
The Chimera tank fight is a lesson in persistence. It took two years to get right, and the result is worth it.
Source material: “It took roughly two years and "one of the most expensive art assets ever" to get Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's Chimera tank fight right,” Eurogamer.
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