In recent times I have seen quite a few Samurai within my own community express the sentiment that they are losing hype for Cyberpunk 2077, following a cornucopia of different reasons. Usually this lack of interest manifests itself during times when there are no genuine updates from CD Projekt Red. It happened exactly this time last year and it is repeating itself once again. Given that my aim has always been to deliver accurate news on Cyberpunk 2077, personally all I see at the moment is regurgitated nonsense or fake news from the usual culprits. Understandably, I can empathise with your position if you are feeling frustrated or underwhelmed as the Cyberpunk 2077 marketing campaign is approaching the end of its current phase.
Push Magazine published an interesting opinion piece, titled “Cyberpunk 2077 could become a victim of its own immense hype” which I felt was worth examining.
The author Robert Ramsey writes: “When it comes to games that I can’t wait to get my sweaty palms on, Cyberpunk 2077 is number one on the list. Regular readers will know how much I love The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, I’d go as far to say that it’s probably my favourite game, period and knowing that CD Projekt Red has another ambitious role-playing title in the oven is more than enough to get me excited. Why wouldn’t it be?”
In a similar vein, CD Projekt Red have earned my trust as a company since the Polish localization of Baldur’s Gate. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is also my favourite game to date, alongside my interest in the Cyberpunk genre, in particular Ghost in the Shell and Cyberpunk 2020, which I have been playing since 1995, I’m confident CD Projekt Red and Mike Pondsmith from R. Talsorian Games can deliver the goods. With Cherami Leigh as the voice of Female V it doesn’t get better than that as far as I am concerned.
I think for the most part, fans are excited for Cyberpunk 2077, but those who I tend to interact with on a daily basis have kept their expectations in check or tempered their own personal hype so to speak. I for one went into Cyberpunk 2077 with the position it should be a game with storytelling quality similar to Witcher 3, with improvements one would expect based on the experience CD Projekt Red gained from the Witcher series.
The articles states: “In Cyberpunk 2077’s case, all you need to do is type the thing’s name into Google and you’ll be hit with a near unprecedented wave of pure hype. People are going absolutely mental for anything to do with Cyberpunk 2077 and have been for years excitement for the game is on a level that you very rarely see.”
I disagree with some of these points. If I search for Cyberpunk 2077, sure there is great content out there from passionate fans, cosplays, artwork, memes, photos, discussions but unfortunately the amount of garbage I must sift through on a daily basis is sickening at times, I don’t see an unprecedented wave of pure hype. I see various news outlets and commentators attempting to capitalize on fans passion, usually via nefarious means. Often regurgitating minor details ad nauseum which add nothing of value to the conversation. Content devoid of research or critical thinking. Often no attempts are made to verify the authenticity of information being reported on.
I see a myriad of clickbait videos, making sensational promises based on nothing but fake news or repackaged information from months ago. Those going mental so to speak, tend to be attention seekers or pseudo cyberpunk fans. If you really want to find the truth in Night City, one must dig further into the dark corners of the net, unofficial forums, comment sections or social media platforms to find the truly passionate Cyberpunks.
I agree with the sentiment that there are those who are holding Cyberpunk 2077 to completely unrealistic expectations, but I am under the impression that this may not necessarily reflect what most of the fandom thinks. Is it even possible to get any meaningful data on those metrics? In my opinion, most gamers are too busy with their daily lives or playing other games to even bother with most of the nonsense online.
Like any marketing campaign, Cyberpunk 2077’s march towards April 16th, 2020, has its positives and negatives. For me at least, the positives have heavily outweighed what I perceive to be the negatives, whether it was Keanu Reeves being introduced at E3 or running contests featuring cosplay or photography to engage different sections of the community, CD Projekt Red have explored various avenues to promote the game. I’m not a fan of having too much information prior to playing a game for the first time, in other words spoilers, so the deliberate vagueness has been a boon in my eyes, but it also gives unscrupulous individuals the ammunition they need to ride the Cyberpunk 2077 gravy train.

Some aspects of the marketing campaign that have garnered negative attention include moves such as handing out Yaiba Kusanagi statue’s as gifts to GameStop managers, who clearly could not careless about the game, as evidenced by how many I saw on eBay. It seemed like a strange move, and one I’m not entirely sure was under CD Projekt Red’s control. I have seen similar feedback expressed concerning Samurai jackets which are often given out to influencers or the media, and find themselves on the secondary market within days after E3 or Gamescom. Quite a few within my own community have expressed annoyance at not being able to see the 2019 demo, if they could not attend a live event. Again, I sympathise with your frustration.
Will Cyberpunk 2077 become a victim of its own immense hype? I’m inclined to disagree with that statement. Yes, there are going to be a group of individuals who ultimately are setting themselves up for disappointment, but in my opinion their problems run far deeper than just Cyberpunk 2077, it reflects more upon how you approach gaming or other entertainment in general. There will always been fans and haters. For more Cyberpunk 2077 Lore check out Kazuliski.
