Cyberpunk 2077is a video game adaptation ofCyberpunk 2020, a tabletop role-playing game set in a dystopic time period that tackles things like inequality and oppression. As such, most expect thatCyberpunk 2077will handle similar issues, but some wonder if real-world events may have also influenced it.
In a recent interview with the Polish website Spider’s Web,CyberPunk 2077Quest Designer Pawel Sasko discussed whether or not modern, real-world protests such as theBlack Lives Matter movementcaused any changes toCyberpunk 2077’s outcome. Sasko’s short and sweet answer was that they didn’t, but he does clarify why.
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According to the quest designer, it’s simply too late for CD Projekt Red to make changes toCyberpunk’s narrative. The recent blow-up in protest happened long afterCyberpunk 2077entered its final stages of development, and at this stage, Projekt Red doesn’t change anything to the story it’s telling, as most of it is already recorded.
Sasko goes on to say thatCyberpunk 2077isn’t a political statement or a political thesis. He andCD Projekt Redsee it as a work of art and a statement to the studio’s philosophy. The publisher-developer is made up of people with different political and religious views and different sexual orientations, and it tries to encourage openness because of this.
Sasko claims that the most important thing for Projekt Red is the stories that it tells the players, and he finds it difficult to imagine the kinds of events that would have to happen for them to start changing things at this stage, especially to avoid talking about something.
However, he does allude to the fact thatCyberpunk 2077already tackles themes that triggered modern protests, such as police brutality, racism, and oppression. These topics just weren’t inspired by real-world events, which makes sense consideringCyberpunk 2077’s source material.
That said, CD Projekt Red has confirmed thatCyberpunk 2077expansionswill happen after the game launches. There will be two of them, and they’ll be similar in scope to whatThe Witcher 3received. If Projekt Red really wants to, they could use protests like BLM and what’s going on in Hong Kong for inspiration.
Regardless, though, the base game will tackle similar situations already. And sinceCyberpunk 2077releases in two months — barring delays— its topics are contemporary, so it’ll be hard for anyone to tell that it wasn’t inspired by the recent protest around the world anyway.
Cyberpunk 2077is set to release November 19 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with Stadia, PS5, and Xbox Series X versions to follow.
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