Cyberpunk 2077: Keanu Reeves in a bleak future

Cyberpunk 2077
Keanu Reeves in a gloomy vision of the future

Keanu Reeves gives life to the character Johnny Silverhand

© CD Projekt Red

The majority of gamers have counted the hours: "Cyberpunk 2077" will be the most anticipated game of the year on Thursday.

The uncertainty, the shifts, the wait: all of this will come to an end today, December 10th, when Cyberpunk 2077 is released for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Stadia (later also free upgrades for PS5 and Xbox Series X). At the latest when it became clear at the E3 trade fair in 2019 that Hollywood star and action favorite Keanu Reeves (56, "John Wick") would play a role in the game, there was no stopping many.

Reeves was on stage at Microsoft at the time and promised that "the feeling of being there, walking the streets of the future, will be really breathtaking". When a shout from the auditorium described the briefly embarrassed actor himself as "breathtaking" and Reeves returned the compliment to the audience, the "You're breathtaking" meme was born. By then at the latest, the game developed into one of the most anticipated titles among gamers.

How it all started

The origins of "Cyberpunk 2077" go back decades. The video game that has now been released is based on the pen & paper role-playing game "Cyberpunk" developed by Mike Pondsmith (66), which was first published in 1988 and whose source of inspiration includes the sci-fi classic "Blade Runner" starring Harrison Ford (78) and Rutger Hauer (1944-2019) was. In a fictional timeline, players in "Cyberpunk" experience adventures between misery, crime, the link between man and machine and huge conglomerates, the mega-corporations, in the fictional city of Night City. Other editions appeared later, including those under the title "Cyberpunk 2020".

"Cyberpunk 2077", which was first announced in 2012, is also set in Night City. Gangs, mercenaries and corporate security forces are just some of the dangers that lurk in the streets for the player himself armed with implants and an arsenal of weapons to make his way through a hostile environment.

The game was initially due to appear in April 2020, but several postponements followed – most recently from mid-November to December. So after more than eight years, players can finally lend a hand. But it is not only a relief for fans of the medium that they can now play the title. It feels "fantastic" that "Cyberpunk 2077" can finally appear after so many years of hard work, explains Miles Tost, Senior Level Designer at CD Projekt RED, the developer of the game, when asked by the news agency spot on news. He "sees it as a mixture of happiness, relief and anticipation for the players' reaction". For such moments you become a game developer.

Sunset in the Den of Sin

To summarize the essence of the game in three words? "You are breathtaking," jokes Tost, referring to Reeves' now legendary performance, because seriously this is simply not possible. The actor, who portrays the character Johnny Silverhand in "Cyberpunk 2077", was "the first and only choice" for the role, "because he fit the profile perfectly. We never had any alternatives on our screen, which is why we decided to accept are also very, very happy. "

The favorite feature of Tost is "to drive through Night City to atmospheric music at sunset. Then at night and when it rains, stroll through a Japanese market and come across a quest." His favorite character in the game is Judy, the braindance editor. "I was lucky enough to be working on her quest series with great colleagues. Judy is special."

The game developer doesn't really want to reveal Easter Eggs just yet to avoid spoilers. But he explains that "a look in drawers, at arcade machines or on roofs" could be worthwhile. "And what is this sad man on the edge of the market actually playing on his guitar?"

SpotOnNews