“Cyberpunk 2077” Developers Frustrated With Keanu Mods
CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 has had one of the most divisive releases in recent memory. The game was one of the most anticipated of 2020, but when it finally hit shelves in December, those who purchased it found an experience that was full of glitches, and a game that was really, barely, half-done. In the wake of that disastrous opening, there has been a lot finger pointing from the developer, as well as a number of apologies for the seemingly incomplete final product.
And while the dust has seemed to settle in recent weeks, CD Projekt Red finds themselves embroiled in controversy once again, this time for some inappropriate fan mods to the game. Specifically, mods of the game have begun popping up that swap out some character models and thus allow players to engage sexually with Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand character, an act that was previously banned, due to Silverhand being based on an actual person.
Speaking with PC Gamer about the situation, the folks at CD Projekt Red have taken a stance firmly against this kind of action, stating that:
Our most important rule regarding user-generated content, game mods in particular, is that it can’t be harmful towards others. In the case of model swaps, especially those that involve explicit situations, it can be perceived as such by the people who lent us their appearance for the purpose of creating characters in Cyberpunk 2077. Therefore, when making fan content, creators have to make sure they’ve got permission from all the concerned parties (which might be people other than CD PROJEKT RED). For the characters we’ve invented for the game, we broadly permit you to tweak the game at will and just have fun. When it comes to models of real people whom we’ve asked to participate in the game, we kindly ask you to refrain from using them in any situation that might be found offensive if you don’t have their explicit permission.
This reaction certainly makes sense, as it is both uncouth and unfair to take liberties with the game’s representation of an actual person. However, how they plan to censor these mods, or punish violators, hasn’t been explained. Mods have become a huge part of gaming, with CD Projekt Red’s own The Witcher 3, being the most modded game in history, so any regulation will take a long time, and likely be harshly judged.
And even though this is a pertinent rights issue with Cyberpunk 2077, there is still a mountain of issues with the game that the developers need to address, so it could be quite some time before this modding issue gets definitively dealt with.
