CD Projekt Red: Cyberpunk 2077 is "An Inherently Political Franchise"

Cyberpunk 2077's quest designer Patrick Mills recently did an interview with Official Xbox Magazine Australia where he commented on the political nature of CD Projekt Red's upcoming RPG. Namely that Cyberpunk 2077 will be political in nature.

As spotted by PC Gamer, Mills told Official Xbox Magazine that "Cyberpunk 2077 is a game about people with power at the top and people at the bottom with none." He says "That power can come from money, hierarchies, technology and violence. The original Cyberpunk 2020 setting, like the setting of The Witcher stories, was a complex critique of the author's world, and we don't shy away from that in our games. On the contrary I think it's one of the things that sets us apart [...] Cyberpunk is an inherently political genre and it's an inherently political franchise."

There has been some controversy surrounding politics in games. Publishers like Ubisoft have distanced their recent titles like Far Cry 5 and The Division 2 from politics, going as far as to say their games (about a religious cult and martial state respectively) aren't making "political statements," something Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has pushed back against.

Cyberpunk's roots are steeped in politics and it's good to know that CD Projekt Red recognizes this history and are diving headlong into this tradition.

Mills also addressed the fact that Cyberpunk 2077 is in the first-person, compared to The Witcher which was in third-person. "There's a lot of things we get from first person, and part of it is being closer to the character and to feel like you're inhabiting that character. But at the same time, I would also say this: go play a third-person game, go play The Witcher 3, and look up. Just try to look straight up. You'll find the [immersion] never truly works. It never feels like you are looking up. It feels like you're moving the camera around."

While Mills might have a point, how will I be able to appreciate my character's cool clothes in first person? Answer me that, CD Projekt Red.

For more on Cyberpunk 2077 including our E3 preview, release date info, and trailers, check out our Cyberpunk 2077 guide.