Since the very first trailer, CD Projekt Red has built up the image of the Cyberpunk 2077 Night City setting; the dense urban dystopian metropolis which will be dominated in equal measure by street gangs and corporations. The studio has hinted before that players will be able to visit the city outskirts as well. However, CD Projekt Red’s Alvin Liu recently confirmed that players will actually be able to venture beyond the limits of Night City and out into the Californian deserts.
Players Will be Able to Venture Beyond the Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Setting
Speaking in a recent interview with Wccftech, Alvin Liu mentioned the Nomads; a faction separate from the gangs and corporations. Indeed, “Nomad” will be one of the three Life Paths which players can choose during character creation. “Outside the city,” explains Liu; “we have people who just don’t want to live in the city for whatever reason. Maybe they have very strong family ties in their community, or maybe they hate the idea of, you know, being a corporate slave, working for gangs, and they want to be strong and independent instead.”
The description prompted the interviewer to ask whether players would be able to explore the outskirts of the city. Liu confirmed that they could, and then went on to state that players will be able to go even further; “You’ll be able to go out in the desert of California and view things like power plants, abandoned highways and stuff like that. So you’re not just limited to Night City. It’s a really cool place to use our cars and drive them fast, as it’s hard to go super fast in the city.”
Certainly, this could be the perfect place to experience Cyberpunk 2077’s driving mechanics, fastest vehicles, and even the in-game radio. Players may find it a nice change of pace from the dense urban streets and traffic. It’s currently unknown if the game’s story will take players out of the city much. However, given CD Projekt Red’s focus on story, it seems likely that players will have a reason to venture out into the Californian deserts for more than just a scenic drive.