Cyberpunk 2077 was recently confirmed to have a multiplayer mode in development, but of course the main attraction will be the story campaign once the game launches on April 16th, 2020. As many of you already know, the game is based on the popular tabletop roleplaying game Cyberpunk 2020, which clearly implies a fifty-seven-years gap in the timeline.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry, CD Projekt RED's Marthe Jonkers (Senior Concept Artist and Coordinator) explained how the developers are trying to inject more believability into the game world by designing a layered Night City, where players will be able to recognize the district and the history of its inhabitants simply by looking at it.
In Night City, the natural elements are starting to get more and more rare. Most animals are becoming extinct, and it's hard to acquire wood. So if you see someone walking around with some animal print on their body, they're pretty rich -- it's a symbol of their wealth. The buildings of the super-rich use a lot of wood, marble and stuff like that because most people can't afford it.
There are layers to the design of Night City and all its inhabitants, so when you drive around and you see a building that's sort of pink with these soft edges, and the windows are sort of soft shaped, you know that this is kitsch style, and you know that was built in that period of time where people had more money back then. It's telling you a story about the background of the city and gives an extra layer of believability.
That was really, really important to us, to make a unique take on Cyberpunk. And I really like that when people see screenshots of our game, they recognise it as our style.
In case you're curious, CD Projekt RED came up with four different styles that defined those 'missing years' of Night City. Check them out below.
Entropism (Official Poster)
The look of poverty that derives from humans grappling with and struggling against technology and its unforgiving advance. It denotes a lack of design blending with a general poverty of means and ideas.
Kitsch (Official Poster)
The look of a long lost golden age on people entirely unwilling or unable to forget it. It’s flashy, bold and usually cheap – filled with gold-plated cyberware, implants encased in brightly colored plastic and larger-than-life makeup.
Neomilitarism (Official Poster)
The look of global conflict and corporations jockeying for power. Cold, sharp and modern. Making everyone look as if they are ready to drop out of an AV’s cargo door and head straight into combat.
Neokitsch (Official Poster)
The look of infinite wealth and vanity. Synonymous with luxury, it has been blossoming among Night City’s wealthiest elites – those who can afford to buy anything, who can afford to be anything they want to be.
