Cyberpunk 2077’s 19th November launch date is rapidly closing in, which, as you might expect, means CD Projekt’s steady stream of reveals continues; and this time the developer has offered a closer look at Night City itself, as well as its gangs, in its latest livestream.
We’ve seen Night City before, of course, but CD Projekt has taken some time to explain the design ethos behind its impressive world, saying the city – the “star of Cyberpunk 2077” in many ways – has been created to be both believable and varied enough that each district distinct is fun to explore. You can see some of the sights in the accompanying trailer.
Using the real-life geography of the Californian coast as a starting point, CD Projekt says it built Night City (what it calls “easily the most complex thing” it’s worked on) by mapping out its essential functions – its ports, industrial areas, and trade hubs – before breaking them down further into six districts, each with their own architectural styles, inhabitants, and more. Even the streets have been individually named.
Cyberpunk 2077 — Postcards from Night City Watch on YouTube
The aim, it says, was to create a “super organic” space, with a layout that feels like it grew in phases, with buildings piled on top of each other – creating an extremely vertical construct that radically impacts how it can be explored. Rather than the straight-line style of exploration predominant in The Witcher, where players simply point themselves toward an interesting landmark on the horizon, CD Projekt says exploration in Night City is more intimate, and moment-to-moment, hopefully with a surprise around every corner.