Cyberpunk 2077 dev claims the game doesn’t go for happy endings due to ‘genre rules,’ but the problem is really, as always, capitalism

There isn’t any particularly good ending in Cyberpunk 2077, and the addition of Phantom Liberty at the end of September this year didn’t change that. Whichever path you go, there will always be some downsides to, and one of the game’s writers explained why.

Magda Zych, CD Projekt Red’s senior writer, talked with gamingbolt on Nov. 27 about the company’s approach to the game’s story, specifically to its endings. She claimed the reason why Cyberpunk 2077 or its newest DLC Phantom Liberty lack good endings is because of the “genre rules,” though, it makes the experience even more real.

“The thing is, Cyberpunk 2077 is a noir game and in this genre there is no place for happy endings by definition. Is anyone complaining that Casablanca ends badly? These are the genre rules. We have always strived for immersion and for our games to give the greatest possible illusion of reality, and as we know, not every real story always has a happy ending,” Zych said.

On top of that, due to the fact there’s hardly a fully satisfying, good ending in Cyberpunk 2077, the immersive experience created in the game, combined with its endings, makes you feel more invested in the story. “It hits you harder because it rings true.”

Everyone who has played CD Projekt Red’s title definitely had their own captivating experience with the game’s story. Neither the main story nor Phantom Liberty has a “lived happily ever after” ending however, like Zych pointed out, it just hits way too close to the bone. Additionally, it makes you want to play the game once more to explore alternative endings.

But, there’s more to it. The writer admitted she sees the genre as a whole as a kind of warning for humanity if we make too many wrong decisions. “[The genre] is a kind of warning of what might happen if we’re not careful as a race. It’s not such an abstract sci-fi idea. I think these kinds of stories can take place anywhere that uber-capitalism develops, causing the collapse of societies,” she said.

She’s not wrong. While exploring the Night City, while I was having way too much fun, I was also terrified from time to time. It’s a perfect place to let your cyberpunk fantasies run wild, but not really to eventually live, in 2077, or at any other point in the future.