CD Projekt Red has issued a statement regarding certain in-game anti-Russian content discovered in the Ukrainian version ofCyberpunk 2077. This content has sparked controversy amongCyberpunk 2077players, prompting the company to clarify the situation.
The Ukrainian localization was introduced toCyberpunk 2077as part of a significant 2.0 update released earlier this month. Along with other gaming companies,CD Projekt Red has been openly supportiveof Ukraine during the ongoing conflict, pledging financial aid to organizations assisting Ukrainian civilians displaced by the war and suspending game sales in Russia and Belarus.
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CD Projekt Red has issued an apology regarding in-game anti-Russian dialogue and graffiti found in the Ukrainian localization ofCyberpunk 2077after the 2.0 update. According to a side-by-side comparison of the game’s files shared by Zone of Games, this localization not only offered a new language option but also included unique commentary on the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. It featured words like “rusnia,” a newly coined Ukrainian term often used derogatorily to refer to Russians.
In a recent interview with Rock Paper Shotgun, Arsenii Tarasov, one of the organizers of Indie Cup (a Ukraine-based festival of games), confirmed that a piece of graffiti within the game featured the Ukrainian coat of arms and a symbol representing the Crimean Tatars superimposed over a rough map of Crimea. These anti-Russian features appearedconsistent with CD Projekt’s support of Ukraine. However, the studio asserted that it was not responsible for these changes and pledged to remove them.
After being accused on Steam and the CD Projekt forums, among other things, of “Russophobia,” CD Projekt Red apologized, acknowledging that these new features and translations were added toCyberpunk 2077by the Ukrainian translation company SBT Localization. CD Projekt said, “We are working to fix them and replace them in the next update. We apologize for this situation and are taking steps to ensure it does not happen again.”
This situation underscores the complexities of addressing political and social issues within video game content, particularly when dealing with sensitive real-world events. CD Projekt Red’s response illustrates the challenges faced by developers in ensuring that localized versions of their games remain sensitive to global issues. It remains to be seen how much this conflict will impact the reception ofthe new DLC forCyberpunk 2077,Phantom Liberty, in different countries.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Libertyis available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
