When it was announced in 2012, Cyberpunk 2077 had set itself up to be a revolution in gaming, both technically and gameplay wise. The role-playing was going to be evolved by how engaging the world around the player was, including the NPCs roaming the streets. The developer bragged on the living and breathing Night City and how seamless living in that world would be. However, when the game released on December 10th, 2020, the fan reception was far less than positive. Cyberpunk 2077 came out full of bugs, glitches, and frequent crashes.
This naturally drew ire from news companies, law firms, and fans as they tried to play a game that had been hyped up as a next-gen masterpiece for the last decade. Perhaps the easiest way to identify bugs and glitches was looking to the game's NPC. Sometimes, they would avoid the stairs like they feared for their lives or would berendered in a T-pose. There was also the tendency for the characters to either over or under react based on the world around them, leaving much to be desired from the "seamless" world. These peculiar issues have led many fans to focusing on why the NPCs act the way they do, and so CD Projekt Red has tried to improve them since.
Cyberpunk 2077 NPCs
It was initially reported that some NPCs in Cyberpunk 2077 would be so alive that they would have daily routines players could follow, which set expectations high. When fans got the end result, bugs included, it was almost comical the difference between what was promised and the result for NPCs. Cyberpunk 2077 NPCs have confusing behaviors when approached with normal situations, or when they're approached with no situation at all. While it can be occasionally funny to see a Night City resident doing something weird, it easily takes the player out of the world that was supposed to be immersive.
Some other confusing examples captured by fans would be a decapitated Cyberpunk 2077 NPC deciding to go about his day unbothered. It has been surprising and a let down to many fans who expected much more from the company who brought them The Witcher 3. Alternatively, when compared side-by-side with NPCs from Grand Theft Auto 5, a comparable open-world game, characters are much less responsive in Cyberpunk, sometimes refusing to act dismayed or annoyed if players get too close to their personal space. It's a shame that CD Projekt Red couldn't initially pull off what it wanted with the NPCs, but at the very least, some of the situations are indeed comical.
Updates and Fixes for Cyberpunk 2077's NPCs
After receiving immense backlash, CD Projekt Red vowed to make up for this mistake by repairing the game and the reputation that had been so severely damaged. Since its December 10th release last year, Cyberpunk 2077 released a couple updates including the giant 1.2 update. This saw updates to the NPCs' animations as well as their behaviors when they become afraid and aggressive.
There are fans who were so angry with CD Projekt after the misleading marketing done with Cyberpunk 2077 that there may be nothing the company can do to win them back. Although it won't be hurting for money, as Cyberpunk 2077 broke records, its reputation has definitely taken an unfavorable turn. That being said, it seems that CD Projekt Red is determined to release updates and DLC to get back the fanbase that had been so won over by the studio's previous work. Only time will tell if it can turn Cyberpunk 2077 into the game it was always promised to be.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.