CD Projekt REDCD Projekt RED has confirmed that the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 will feature religion in many forms, with some depictions being based on real-life faiths.
This came from an interview with Polish site Gry Online WP that was hastily translated into English and then starting doing the rounds. This translation claimed that CD Projekt RED “wouldn’t avoid any subject” regardless of whether or not it offended certain groups, and that religions like Christianity would work as in-game factions.
As has now been reported by IGN, this potentially controversial information was the result of a mistranslation.
CD Projekt REDWhile Cyberpunk 2077 will indeed depict various religions throughout the game, with some grounded in reality, those religions will not be in-game factions, and the developer actually made it clear that it absolutely doesn’t want to offend anyone, and will tackle any represented religions with care and respect.
IGN received a version of the interview that had been translated into English by CD Projekt RED, which also lined up with the publication’s own translation of the interview.
What CD Projekt RED Quest Director Meteusz Tomaskiewicz actually had to say when asked about religion in-game was that it does exist in “many forms” and that the studio’s vision is “somehow based on the real world.”
He went on to say:
Religion is a very important part of the latter, society-wise. In our game we’re going to see for example Christianity and its different branches, or religions from the East.
CD Projekt REDThe interviewer pointed out this could be seen as controversial, as players could, for example, decide to go and shoot guns in a church. Tomaskiewicz said they didn’t want to avoid religion as a topic, as “authenticity of the world is what counts.”
He then stressed that while the church scenario is “possible”, it all comes down to choices made by the player, and CD Projekt RED won’t encourage the player to do anything of the sort. “In our quests which involve religious themes, we make sure there’s no disrespect”, he said.
So there we have it; Cyberpunk 2077 will not have religions and factions, and CD Projekt RED plan to handle any religious themes and depictions with respect. I do have to say though, that the idea that you can go into a church and fire weapons is a little dodgy, especially given real-world events in the last few years.
CD Projekt REDAs CD Projekt RED says though, whether you choose to do that or not is up to you. I just wonder if that’s enough of a get-out to keep the developer away from more controversy.
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Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.