In an interview in Official Xbox Magazine, CD Projekt Red quest designer Patrick Mills spoke about the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077. Among the topics in the interview, he spoke about their game and whether it would have “political themes or social commentary.”
In his interview with Official Xbox Magazine, Patrick spoke about their upcoming game and made a few comparisons to their most recent installment in The Witcher series. However, one of the more interesting topics that was brought up was whether Cyberpunk 2077 would include “political themes or social commentary.” Patrick said:
Cyberpunk 2077 is a game about people with power at the top and people at the bottom with none. 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.
He also spoke about their reasoning for making it a first-person RPG:
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 that the [immersion] never truly works. It never feels like you are looking up. It feels like you’re moving a camera around.
This willingness to take a side is one that will likely be seen as refreshing to some. There have been some big AAA games that have been decidedly toothless despite obvious potential commentary. Far Cry 5 appeared to have something to say over modern day domestic tensions over gun culture and religious extremism, but ultimately refused to take side. The Division 2, despite being about fighting a corrupt government and taking place in Washington D.C., claims that it’s not trying to make a political statement.
Cyberpunk 2077 has yet to announce an official release date.