CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 is the gift that never stops giving, first gracing us with an in-game appearance of Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, followed by a stylish limited-edition glow-in-the-dark Xbox One X, backward compatibility on PS5 and Xbox Series X, a great degree of character customisation (including genitals and pubic hair modification), and cat-petting goodness. The studio is far from putting a stop to its red-hot streak, however, as it adds a rendered creation of Hideo Kojima as a Cyberpunk 2077 character to the ever-growing list.
The image comes in celebration of Death Stranding‘s arrival on PC this week, and shows a sleek-looking Kojima astride a motorcycle in a yellow jacket, glossy long pants, and uh, cool, cybernetic fingers. It’s a tastefully-rendered attempt of a photo opportunity dating back to 2019, where the man popped over to the studio’s booth at Tokyo Game Show, and posed with one of the game’s flashy bikes.
And while Kojima certainly looks like he’s at home in the cyberpunk setting, it doesn’t mean that we should expect an actual cameo from him. The possibility is not too far-fetched, considering the thematic overlaps between Cyberpunk 2077 and the titles that the man has worked on, as well as his previous cameo stints in Control and Metal Gear Solid 5, but until an official announcement is made, it shall remain a dream for now.
It’s also worth noting that bringing him into the game would require way more work than just a character render, keeping in mind the gruelling effort and attention that goes into the 3D modelling and animation process. Still, it’d be pretty cool if Kojima could be found hanging out in Night City – during the Night Wire live stream, it was confirmed that a handful of streamers will be making in-game appearances, so there’s already a foundation to work with. As for the world of Cyberpunk 2077 itself, there are plans to expand on the lore, with anime spin-off Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and a comic book series promising to tell more stories within the universe.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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Edwin Teo
