CD Projekt RED Hints Cyberpunk 2077 Movie Won't be a Game Adaptation

CD Projekt Red has finally spoken up about the live-action Cyberpunk 2077 movie. The company said it doesn’t want to do a 1:1 adaptation of the game, instead telling a new story within the same universe.

via: Dual Shockers

The game is set in the fictional dystopian Night City ruled by a corrupt megacorporation, where you play as a character who goes by the name of V, who finds the consciousness of Johnny Silverhand, played by the legendary Keanu Reeves, stored in their body and it begins to take over.

Details on what Paramount Pictures has planned for the Cyberpunk film are yet to be revealed, but if CD Projekt RED’s comments are anything to go by, fans could be in for an entirely different Cyberpunk experience when it hits the big screen.

The Cyberpunk Movie Could Take on a Whole New Look

Speaking to PAP Biznes, Michał Nowakowski, joint CEO of CD Projekt RED, revealed that the studio "can only say that we definitely don't want to make a film adaptation of the game. We want to tell a story in the world of Cyberpunk, but it won't be a one-to-one game story."

Expanding the Cyberpunk IP into a movie that deviates from the game’s story draws interest from existing players and works to attract new fans, according to Nowakowski.

The success of the TV series, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, has been pointed to as one such example of how expanding the story and characters can grow Cyberpunk 2077 and its universe. The highly anticipated second series of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners will be available on Netflix on October 20, and CD Projekt RED hopes that it will draw more attention to Cyberpunk 2077.

"In 2022, when the first part of the anime debuted, we observed an increased interest in the game. It was especially visible during the premiere of the series, but what is equally important – in the following months, the game's sales continued to be above those observed before the premiere. We hope that this time we will also be able to invite anime viewers to our game,” explained Nowakowski.

Details on what Paramount Pictures has planned for the Cyberpunk film are yet to be revealed, but if CD Projekt RED’s comments are anything to go by, fans could be in for an entirely different Cyberpunk experience when it hits the big screen.

Even though Cyberpunk 2077 has sold over 40 million copies and the subsequent Phantom Liberty expansion exceeding 15 million copies sold, CD Projekt RED believes there’s still room for a continuation in the gradual increase in the number of new players loading into the futuristic world.

Despite the ever-changing video game landscape, Nowakowski believes “the young generation and people who have not been interested in gaming so far” can be reached to support sales. Here, Nowakowski mentions The Witcher 3, claiming that “there are not many big games such as The Witcher 3 on the market. We are aware, for example, of the fact that there are players who were too young for The Witcher 3, but grew up with gaming, who can play a title that has gained a new quality thanks to the remaster."

Of course, Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t the only video game to be receiving an on-screen adaptation. At the beginning of October, it was announced that ARC Raiders and The Finals, developed by Embark Studios, would be turned into TV series and movies.

XBOX CEO, Asha Sharma, also introduced XBOX XP, a new division that focuses on turning XBOX franchises into film and television, strategic partnerships, new products, and live experiences. The purpose of XBOX XP is for franchises to reach more consumers and to create greater connections with fans.