When CD Projekt Red released the action pseudo-RPG “Cyberpunk 2077” back in 2020, I was utterly disgusted. This was a stark contrast to the initial announcement trailer from 2013, which showcased a futuristic sci-fi world where women were portrayed as feminine and attractive.
CDPR, seemingly dissatisfied with this original vision, rebuilt Cyberpunk 2077 from the ground up to reflect a more “dystopian” and inclusive depiction of American culture and society.
I’m not referring to cybernetics and robotic augmentations, but rather how Cyberpunk 2077 transitioned from a potentially fantastic game to one overwhelmingly dominated by progressive themes and values. The dystopian atmosphere shifted to a society obsessed with sexuality, particularly of the LGBT variety.
Character designs radically changed, emphasizing sexuality and multiculturalism, resulting in a massive departure from what was originally shown. The game now filled with non-binary and LGBT characters, sexualized trans in-game advertisements, and the option to romance same-sex NPCs.
The game launched in a broken and unfinished state, compelling CDPR to refund tens of thousands of copies, particularly for previous-generation consoles like the Sony PlayStation 4. However, as time went on, CDPR continued to develop and improve its open-world RPG.
A well-received anime adaptation by Studio Trigger helped revive what had initially been one of the most catastrophically received game releases of the modern era.
CD Projekt Red is a dedicated follower of Larry Fink and Blackrock’s ESG agenda, a globalized financially backed initiative aimed at reshaping corporate operations. This agenda prioritizes “diversity and inclusion” criteria over work experience and merit in hiring practices.
It also influences the products themselves, mandating adherence to progressive standards by eliminating anything “problematic” or “offensive.”
This includes the elimination of heteronormative depictions of women and the incorporation of a diverse range of characters in advertisements and products, particularly focusing on non-White races and varied sexualities. Cyberpunk 2077 exemplifies this approach, being heavily infused with such themes.
Considering the team behind Cyberpunk 2077 at CDPR, it’s evident from their appearance and demeanor that the majority of their developers lean towards liberal views, with many being women with dyed hair, a major red flag.
Unsurprisingly, CDPR’s technical capabilities seem to have declined since taking on these progressive employees, they’ve taken much longer to develop Cyberpunk 2077 than any of their other previous games.
I wonder if the radical shift in art direction mid-development contributed to the nearly decade-long development cycle and the game’s broken, unfinished state at launch. Additionally, I question whether this change was influenced by Kasia Redesiuk, leading to a focus on body positivity, inclusivity, and sexuality, thereby subverting the game’s original concept.
The game itself required several years post-release to be fully polished, resulting in Cyberpunk 2077 being one of the most inclusive and sanitized games ever made, heavily pandering to the LGBT community.
Imagine my surprise when CD Projekt Red’s Associate Game Director, Paweł Sasko, stated in a recent interview that their efforts with Cyberpunk 2077 weren’t enough. According to him, the game wasn’t dystopian enough, it wasn’t inclusive enough, and it could have been even more reflective of LGBT themes.
During a recent appearance on CD Projekt Red’s AnsweRED Podcast, Paweł Sasko and several other executives, including Executive Producer Dan Hernberg, discussed the company’s expansion to Boston as they work on a follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077, codenamed Orion.
They expressed the challenge of accurately portraying American culture as a European developer. Sasko mentioned their visits to various US cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, describing these major liberalized cities as rife with crime and societal issues.
“Being from Europe is interesting. I sometimes feel like I’m in a different reality, just observing and taking snapshots.”
“I remember us traveling to LA and San Francisco while working on Cyberpunk. After we finished the game and I traveled more in the U.S., I realized we didn’t push the envelope far enough in some areas.”
Sasko highlighted the homelessness crisis in states like California. He remarked that witnessing how quickly American society can deteriorate following a push for multiculturalism made him and his team realize they hadn’t taken Cyberpunk 2077 “far enough.” He stated, “We thought that we were dystopian, but we just touched the surface.”
Executive Producer Dan Hernberg, who is working with Sasko on Project Orion, added, “You’re like, we had one homeless person in a tent somewhere. Yes! And an American’s like, ‘Wow! That’s like, you know, nothing. Like, you need a whole city, you know.'”
He continued, “So it is very different in some of these areas where even when I played Cyberpunk, you kind of see these things and you’re like, ‘Wait.’ Someone’s like, ‘Oh, that’s really bad.’ And you’re like, ‘No, that’s barely scratching the surface of the differences. These subtle differences.’”
Echoing his colleague’s thoughts, when later asked what Cyberpunk means to him, Hernberg asserted, “I think the really cool thing about Cyberpunk, and the dystopian future that it has, is there’s so much relevance to today. Of megacorporations, of people on the fringes, of people just being exploited resources, of the wealth gap, of all these things.”
“I think that 2077 allows us to tell these stories in ways that always center around relationships and people, even in a really broken world, and it gives us the opportunity to call out some of these issues,” he added.
I genuinely feel that Dan Hernberg and Paweł Sasko are onto something here. In reality, progressive democratic cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco are heavily focused on LGBT-related initiatives. Local governments often spend taxpayer funds on projects like painting crosswalks with LGBT rainbow flags and then prioritize prosecuting teenagers for defacing them, even conducting manhunts for those who use public roads improperly.
I thought Cyberpunk 2077 exaggerated the American experience of dealing with cybernetic queer themes, but it seems the progressive team at CDPR intends to emphasize these aspects even more in their next installment, which won’t be released until the end of the decade. Given the current state of the gaming industry and the challenges facing Larry Fink’s ESG initiatives, it seems unlikely that the industry will sustain itself until then.
