CDPRDevelopers recently revealed that the Chimera tank boss fight in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty underwent roughly two years of iterative refinement. This battle serves as the climax of the expansion's opening: V and President Myers confront a giant spider tank deep within the Barghest facility.
The design of the Chimera was inspired by Ghost in the Shell. In CDPR's AnsweRED podcast, Expansion Game Director Gab Amatangelo, Creative Director Igor Sakinski, and others discussed the challenges they faced while creating this battle.
Amatangello stated that the Chimera boss fight required close collaboration between gameplay, narrative, art, and world-building design. The team wanted the tank's weapons to feel threatening to players, while also ensuring that the many elements in the battle remained balanced.
He recalled that during production, the combat sometimes leaned too heavily into gameplay, and at other times favored narrative or artistic direction. As a result, the team adjusted each aspect individually to find the right presentation for this encounter.
Phantom Liberty Art Director Pawel Mielniczuk stated that the Chimera boss fight took about two years through repeated iterations. He mentioned that the tank went through four different iterations, with adjustments made to its equipment and weapons along the way.
Sakinski also believes that the Chimera may be one of the most expensive art assets ever produced.