Following the captivating Witcher trilogy, CD Projekt RED is now jumping over from medieval fantasy to a dystopian future with Cyberpunk 2077. The drastic change in tone obviously bears new challenges but when it comes to creating a fictional world with rich and meaningful lore, there are few that stand alongside the Polish developer in the video game industry.
There are several storytelling principles that CD Projekt RED is expected to bring forward from the unforgiving Witcher universe and one of them is the need to include extensive sex and nudity. This time, however, the thematic inclusion will have a rather different reason for being there.
When the “White Wolf” Geralt was traveling the Continent in search of monsters to slay, there was debate over why the Witcher installments featured so many hours of intimate scenes. The developer explained then and at many junctions that intimacy was a crucial part of the narrative. The only way to establish the lead characters was to have them pursue romantic relationships, which not only add depth to characterization but also give players an understanding about why they should care about someone in the storyline.
While giving away gameplay details last week, quest designer Patrick Mills confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 will feature romantic avenues as well. There will be opportunities for complicated relationships that continue and evolve over the course of progression, and casual instances that matter less.
In addition, there will be a lot of nudity. It will be present throughout the dystopian Night City in California.
However, sexual encounters and vast nudity in Cyberpunk 2077 will not be overly related to instilling tender feelings between characters, and neither will they be included for shock value. It has more to do with the cyberpunk genre and how the developer believes it to be one of the most important themes in that regard.
Speaking with Polygon in a recent interview, game director Adam Badowski pointed out that transhumanism forms the cornerstone for the dystopian world in Cyberpunk 2077. This is the belief that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations through science and technology.
When people start augmenting their bodies in every manner possible, they lose the sacred connection with their flesh. This is staple to a cyberpunk setting and why nudity will be used in many situations throughout Cyberpunk 2077.
To further clarify that narrative element, players should expect uncensored and complete nudity in the game from the very beginning.
How CD Projekt RED sees the subject is that sex and nudity were a human and emotional necessity in the Witcher trilogy. The same is an everyday norm in Cyberpunk 2077. The developer has made it clear that we might consider such content to be explicit but those living in a cyberpunk world do not.
There is no word on a release date but Cyberpunk 2077 is strongly speculated to come out sometime next year for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
