Cyberpunk 2077 creative director Igor Sarzynski has revealed exactly why male V quietly disappeared from most of the game’s later marketing material. Male V was initially front and center of the promotion of Cyberpunk 2077, but many players quickly noticed that he was replaced by the female version of the character from Phantom Liberty onward. As it happens, this was a deliberate choice from CD Projekt RED.
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of gaming’s great comeback stories. Its initial release in 2020 was marred by technical difficulties after a drawn-out development cycle, and it was heavily criticized by gamers. However, in the years that followed, the quality game underneath it all finally shone, thanks to tons of updates from CD Projekt RED that made Cyberpunk 2077 what it was intended to be at launch. This was helped further by the launch of the Phantom Liberty expansion, which received rave reviews from gamers and critics alike. Nowadays, Cyberpunk 2077‘s reputation is completely different, and it is generally considered to be among the best sci-fi RPGs on the market.
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This is Why Male V Disappeared From Cyberpunk 2077’s Marketing
Responding to a fan question on Bluesky, Cyberpunk 2077 creative director Igor Sarzynski finally revealed why male V was absent from some of the game’s later marketing material, instead replaced by female V. According to Sarzynski, this was an intentional choice. Because male V had the “whole base game marketing for himself,” the studio “decided to switch it up” for Phantom Liberty. This allowed for “one game for each V.” This mantra extended beyond just the promotion for the game. For example, Cyberpunk 2077‘s Fortnite crossover controversially excluded male V, which didn’t go down well with all fans.
Male V’s later exclusion is particularly notable because of how Cyberpunk 2077‘s reputation evolved over time. Thanks to CD Projekt RED’s updates to the game, by the time players came to know female V as the face of Cyberpunk 2077, it was in a much better state. As a result, there are a lot more positive connotations surrounding female V. It’s not clear exactly how many players chose to play as female V vs. male V, and it would be interesting to see how the split changed as the game’s marketing evolved.
The choice between playing as male and female V is more than just a cosmetic choice. It has a real impact on the content available to players, notably in Cyberpunk 2077‘s romances. Some of the game’s most popular romances are only available to one of the male or female V, and it can affect the story in interesting ways. Only female V players can romance Judy Alvarez, which massively adds to the main story. This just means that doing two playthroughs of Cyberpunk 2077, one as male V and one as female V, is pretty much essential to get as much as possible from the game.
Despite its age, CD Projekt RED is still releasing new Cyberpunk 2077 updates, although it feels as though the bulk of the game’s new content is pretty much done at this point. The developer is focusing on The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2, which it is working on simultaneously. Right now, more developers are assigned to The Witcher 4, and it is expected to remain a priority for the studio. As a result, gamers shouldn’t expect to see Cyberpunk 2 for many years yet.
- Released
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December 10, 2020
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
