CD Projekt Red Haven’t Decided Whether Cyberpunk 2077 Players Can Change V’s Name
One of the biggest changes from The Witcher series to Cyberpunk 2077 is the identity of the game’s protagonist. In The Witcher, gamers always played as Geralt of Rivia. However, the Cyberpunk 2077 protagonist is much more of a blank slate; players will be able to customise and change almost anything about them. However, their name will always be “V,” regardless of other factors. Now, it seems that CD Projekt Red is still debating internally whether players will be able to change their name.
The Name of the Cyberpunk 2077 Protagonist
The question was posed on Twitter whether players would be able to learn or change the Cyberpunk 2077’s birth name; assuming that V is actually a “street name” of sorts. The Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account responded; “As for now the character’s name is V, but this is something we’re still debating.”
As for now the character's name is V, but this is something we’re still debating.
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) August 13, 2018
Allowing players to choose their own names is generally the norm for RPGs. However, it introduces a mild issue when the RPG has voice acting, as the developers cannot anticipate every name choice or record dialogue options for every possible option; indeed, the only major instance of that actually being done was a small part of Fallout 4. The robot companion Codsworth has dialogue recorded for hundreds of possible names. However, that is certainly not the norm. In general, RPG developers get around the problem by either never having NPCs refer to the player character by name, or by giving the protagonist a preset surname. The Mass Effect series is one of the best known examples of the latter; Mass Effect players determine only the first name of “Commander Shepard.”
If V is the “street name” of the Cyberpunk 2077 protagonist, then it’s certainly possible that CD Projekt Red might let players determine their own real name. Of course, other characters will nonetheless refer to the character as “V”. However, CD Projekt Red has made three major RPGs where NPCs have always referred to the protagonist by name. There’s no doubt that it can make dialogue feel more personal or invested if NPCs do use the protagonist’s name. As such, they may not wish to change things for their upcoming title.