Cyberpunk 2077’s lead writer has stated that the team understood during the game’s pre-production that Night City would be the main antagonist, confirming the age-old fan theory.
The main attraction of Cyberpunk 2077 has always been Night City, which is not only a dense open-world that will keep you engaged the entire journey, but also an all-knowing and all-seeing entity that sells people big dreams, but they always come with massive repercussions. Now, a lead writer has confirmed that Night City is indeed the true villain of Cyberpunk 2077.
It’s Always ‘Night City Versus Everyone Else’ in Cyberpunk 2077
For some time, players have theorised that Night City is the main character and antagonist in Cyberpunk 2077, and this post on r/cyberpunkgame explains it quite well. During an interview with GamesRadar+, Cyberpunk 2077’s lead writer, Tomasz Marchewka, confirmed, “Quite quickly, during pre-production of Cyberpunk 2077, we realized that Night City is going to be our main antagonist.”
Marchewka acknowledged that some players had caught on quite quickly and asked about it. The game also features other antagonists, such as Arasaka, Adam Smasher, and others. However, it has always been “Night City versus everyone else, even the big guys. So yeah, that’s a cool concept to make the city the main antagonist,” explained the lead writer.
Igor Sarzynski, the cinematic director, also explained why players might find this world so compelling, stating that for him it was always finding the balance between “subtle, personal, human, and emotional elements – things that are fragile and touching and invite compassion – versus what you mention: the danger, the violence.”
“Everything that forces you to put on armor, literal or emotional, and protect yourself, fight for survival. Night City exists right on the edge of those realms, between beauty and bloodshed, and so you’re never bored; you always think that maybe the next dream will come true,” Sarzynski added.
In other news, the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel will feature a city that feels like ‘Chicago Gone Wrong‘. Additionally, CD Projekt Red and WierdCo have announced Cyberpunk TCG. Did you think that Night City was the main antagonist in Cyberpunk 2077? Leave your thoughts down in the comments, and join the official Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Perfect take. Night City is absolutely the villain in this setting. It was true in CP2020 tabletop and they did a fantastic job making it real in CP2077.