Cyberpunk 2077

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About

Cyberpunk 2077 is an open world role-playing game developed by the Polish video game company CD Projekt RED for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One systems. The game can be played from both a first-person and third-person perspective, and will take place in the futuristic, cyberpunk metropolis Night City. The game was released on December 10th, 2020.

History

Prerelease

On January 10th, 2013, the Cyberpunk 2077 YouTube channel released a teaser trailer for the upcoming game featuring the song "Bullets" by Archive, which gathered upwards of 10.5 million views and 22,000 comments over the next five years (shown below, left). On January 17th, the CGMeetup channel posted a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the trailer (shown below, right).

On May 19th, 2015, CD Projekt RED released the game The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, in which the character Ciri describes a futuristic universe while discussing her ability to travel between worlds (shown below). Following the release of the game, many speculated that Ciri was hinting at visiting the world in which Cyberpunk 2077 takes place.

Designs Hack

On June 8th, 2017, CD Projekt RED tweeted an announcement that unidentified hackers had stolen "early designs" for Cyberpunk 2077, and were demanding ransom to prevent the files from being publicly released (shown below). Within 24 hours, the tweet received upwards of 48,900 likes and 23,400 retweets.

Shortly after, Redditor RAPiDCasting posted the tweet on /r/gaming,^[6] where it garnered more than 34,900 points (89% upvoted) and 1,900 comments in 24 hours. Meanwhile, The Know YouTube channel uploaded a video reporting on the ransom controversy (shown below).

2018 E3

On June 10th, 2018, a second trailer for the game was shown at the 2018 Electronic Entertainment Expo (shown below). Within 72 hours, a YouTube upload of the trailer gained over 7.9 million views and 28,200 comments.

At the event, developers confirmed that the game would be released for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One systems. Additionally, press were allowed to view a demo of the game behind closed doors, featuring 50-minutes of gameplay footage. On June 12th, Game Informer^[8] released a detailed description of the demo.

Release Delays

In 2020, the release of the game was delayed three times, with CDPR first moving the planned release date from April 2020 to September 17th, 2020, and then to November 19th, 2020. On October 27th, 2020, after previously stating that no delays should be expected, CD Projekt Red announced the third delay, moving the release date to December 10th, 2020 (message shown below).

The third delay prompted a series of memes in the form of Cyberpunk 2077 Delay Message Parodies which used the signature yellow message background for humorous purposes.

Release

On December 10th, 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 released globally.

Online Presence

In September 2012, the @CyberpunkGame^[5] Twitter feed was created. On October 17th, a Facebook^[4] page for the game was launched, which gathered upwards of 137,000 likes over the next five years. On January 12th, 2013, the Cyberpunk 2077 Wiki was launched.^[7]

The official website for the game is hosted by CD Projekt RED at Cyberpunk.net.^[3]

Fandom

On October 18th, 2012, the /r/cyberpunk2077^[1] subreddit was launched for discussions about the game. On November 24th, 2015, the subreddit /r/cyberpunkgame^[2] was created.

On April 4th, 2017, YouTuber LegacyKillaHD uploaded a video listing various features expected in the upcoming game, which gained upwards of 490,000 views and 1,300 comments within two months (shown below).

"Mix It Up" Ad Controversy

On June 11th, 2019, Twitter user @neondreamgirl tweeted a closeup of an in-game ad featuring what appears to show male genitalia bulging through a person's outfit, along with the message "How is this not on my timeline right now, is this real" (shown below). Within 48 hours, the tweet gained over 2,300 likes and 550 retweets.

Some criticized the ad for being hypersexualized and fetishizing trans people. The following day, the video game news site Polygon^[11] published an interview with the Cyberpunk 2077 art director Kasia Redesiuk about the ad:

Polygon: Why was a trans model used in this advertisement?

Redesiuk: Personally, for me, this person is sexy. I like how this person looks. However, this model is used -- their beautiful body is used -- for corporate reasons. They are displayed there just as a thing, and that’s the terrible part of it.

Additionally, Redesiuk stated that the game is set in a dystopian future, and the ad is emblematic of the aggressive advertisements of an era where "megacorporations dictate everything" and stated "it was never the intention to offend anyone" when asked how she would respond to criticisms of the ad.

Seizure Controversy

On December 7th, 2020, Game Informer^[12] posted a PSA about potential epileptic triggers seen in Cyberpunk 2077. On that day, Game Informer tweeted the link to the article, with the post gaining over 4,400 retweets and 9,700 likes (tweet shown below, left). On December 7th, Liana Ruppert (@DirtyEffinHippy), the author of the article, made a tweet^[13] about experiencing a seizure episode while playing the game (tweet shown below, center). On December 8th, Ruppert tweeted^[14] that she had been receiving videos containing photosensitive triggers under the guise of support messages.

In the following days, multiple video game outlets reported about the potential triggers in the game and that as of version 1.00 Cyberpunk 2077 did not have a seizure warning splash screen apart from a warning included in the user license agreement. On December 8th, a CDPR representative told IGN^[15] that the studio was working to add such a warning screen.

Following the viral discussion of the topic on Twitter, memes about Cyberpunk 2077 containing potential seizure triggers gained popularity online, particularly in /r/gamingcirclejerk subreddit (examples shown below).

References to Internet Culture

Drakeposting: Can be found in the Photo Mode poses “Hard Pass” and “Now You're Talking.”

Galaxy Brain: Seen in the icon for the “Master Ram Liberator Perk” in the Quickhacking tree under the Intellegence stat.

Netflix and Chill: Referenced in the “Bushido and Chill” achievement that’s awarded for completing the side job Blistering Love.

Troll Science: Making a reference to “Turboencabulator” and the viral video “Rockwell Retro Encabulator,” the “Cyberencabulator” machine made by Arasaka Corp. can be found during the Belly of the Beast mission at the top of the staircase hidden in a tunnel.

“You’re Breathtaking”: Can be seen in-game through both a photo pose by the same name and the “Breathtaking” achievement awarded for collecting Johnny Silverhand’s old items scattered throughout Night City. During the side job “Gig: Olive Branch,” the character Sergei can also be heard saying "breathtaking" as another reference to the meme.

Emosido Engañado: A misspelled Spanish phrase of "hemos sido Engañado" (“we have been deceived”) that went viral back in 2016 can be found on an in-game wall adorned with graffiti depicts the meme on the side of a building.

“Paweł Jumper”: There’s a nod to this famous Polish meme, also known as “Pablo Jumper,” found in Heywood where a motorcycle and corpse are found on a rooftop with a note referencing the meme.

Joker Stairs: Appears in a pose by the same name located in the game’s Photo Mode.

Jojo’s Pose: Listed under the name “V’s Bizarre Pose,” this pose makes a reference to the anime and manga series Jojo's Bizarre Adventure in the Photo Mode, as well as the show's character Jotaro during a brief dialogue with a bartender.

Draw Me Like One of Your French Girls: The pose “Like One of Your French Girls” can be seen in Photo Mode through the Titanic scene and meme.

Three Seashells: Located in the bathroom of V’s apartment is a nod to the Three Seashells meme, which stems from the 1993 sci-fi film Demolition Man.

Han Shot First: Seen in the pose “V Shot First” that directly quotes and mimics the Han Shot First meme originally from Star Wars protagonist Han Solo.

“I Don't Like Sand”: Anakin Skywalker’s memorable quote “I Don't Like Sand” makes a brief appearance during a conversation with one of the Aldecaldos' members in the Badlands.

Portal: Several references to the game series are found in Cyberpunk, namely GLaDOS during the Epistrophy side job when encountering one of Delamain’s rogue cabs, who mentions the “Cake is a Lie” meme among several other quotes from the series.

Half-Life 3 Confirmed: A reference to Half-Life 3 can be found on a shard near the Aldecaldos' camp that includes a short review for a game called “No Life 3.”

Solaire of Astora / Praise the Sun: Found in Photo Mode, the pose “V for Victory” pays homage to Dark Soul’s character Solaire of Astora and the “Praise the Sun” meme.

Chuck Norris: A reference to Chuck Norris is made via the Photo Mode pose “Roundhouse ‘Shot to the Face,’” which depicts his iconic fighting move.

Hideo Kojima: Gaming industry icon Hideo Kojima makes an appearance during the game’s first act when players meet the character Oshima sitting by the bar.

Parody Edits

In September 2018, pictures of people and animals humorously interfacing with various gadgets and technology withe the Cyberpunk 2077 logo superimposed over the image began circulating online as parody ads for the game. On September 5th, Redditor qazeks posted a photograph of a man wearing his cellphone in the back of a baseball cap with the Cyberpunk 2077 logo to /r/gaming^[9] (shown below, left). On September 7th, Redditor Mr_Grabby posted another parody edit featuring a photograph of Eric Andre dressed in a wetsuit while holding a computer keyboard to /r/cyberpunkgame^[10] (shown below, right).

On September 9th, Twitter user @donniemnemonic posted a thread highlighting 12 examples of the photoshop meme (shown below). Within 24 hours, the tweets received more than 2,000 likes and 690 retweets.

Cyberpunk 2077 Keanu Reeves

Cyberpunk 2077 Keanu Reeves refers to character Johnny Silverhand of the 2020 role-playing video game Cyberpunk 2077, played by actor Keanu Reeves. Following the release of the trailer for the game at the Microsoft’s Xbox E3 2019 press conference, multiple memes referencing the actor's appearance in the game and his conference presentation were posted online, including You're Breathtaking and We Have a City to Burn meme formats.

Cyberpunk 2077 Delay Message Parodies

Cyberpunk 2077 Delay Message Parodies refers to a series of memes which parody the delay announcements of the 2020 video game Cyberpunk 2077 by using the signature yellow message background for humorous purposes. The format gained popularity on social media following the third delay of the game in late October 2020.

Cyberpunk 2077 Genital Customization

Cyberpunk 2077 Genital Customization refers to the "mature" rating announcement for Cyberpunk 2077 made in May 2020, describing genitalia customization. The announcement led to Redditors giving comedic image examples of what custom genitalia could look like.