CD Projekt Red on Cyberpunk 2077 companions: "There's lots of them, and quite important ones that we haven't shown yet"

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Expect to meet several frenemies in Night City

In a new Cyberpunk 2077 Q&A session aimed at the game's Russian community, quest designer Philipp Weber discussed the approach to companions in the sci-fi RPG, and how players can interact with them as V.

"There actually are quite a few people you can play different quests with that are very important to the story, and they also come with you on specific missions or just on a drive," he says. "Like Jackie, they'll be very important. There's lots of them, and quite important ones that we haven't shown yet. 

"Some of these characters, depending on your choices, you might like and they might like you. And some of those characters might become your enemies. We are making a role-playing game, it's all up to you. Sometimes you might make a friend or a lover, or sometimes you might make an enemy. But it's really important to us to have these characters that can be with you in your story and wherever it makes sense for them to be." 

We've heard about Cyberpunk 2077 companions before, and we knew some of them would be on the romance list, but it's still interesting to hear about the sheer quantity of companions available. Weber also distinguishes between story- and mission-related companion relationships and more freeform ones. I don't think we'll see straight-up followers who pal around with you all game, but it sounds like you'll have a good bit of free time to spend with your favorite people. 

Much of the Q&A session covers familiar ground, but there are also some interesting details about the role-playing elements of V as a protagonist. And I'm talking about the nitty-gritty, true-to-life role-playing stuff, not just RPG customization. 

"You can of course eat and drink. We're not making a survival game, so you don't have to eat and drink at regular intervals, but eating and drinking can give you special bonuses in combat or for your stats," Weber says. "It's always useful, and sometimes you just want to do it for flavor. In certain scenes, when you're eating with a character, you can choose to eat with them or have a drink, or you can choose not to do it. And if you're in your apartment, you can turn on the shower, the toilet, or you can even use a mirror if you want. We want to give you some opportunities to try and live that cyberpunk life." 

A CD Projekt Red developer has already claimed the platinum trophy for the game. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.