Cyberpunk 2077's new update has Johnny Silverhand striking the sad Keanu meme pose complete with fake pigeons

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He's not sad, he's just going through a lot

CD Projekt/winky813 via Twitter
(Image credit: CD Projekt/winky813 via Twitter)

The latest Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 update quietly added the 'sad Keanu' meme to Night City.

Update 2.1, Cyberpunk 2077's final significant patch, went live yesterday, December 5, introducing a full-on metro system for Night City's sprawling masses. It turns out the new metro system is hiding a neat new feature: a tribute to the sad Keanu Reeves meme of many moons ago.

Famed musician Johnny Silverhand can now apparently be found rocking the sad Keanu pose on the Night City metro system. He's even surrounded by fake pigeons to properly complete the meme look. Those are fake pigeons because in Cyberpunk 2077's world, all birds were wiped exterminated with 18 miles of Night City because of a deadly disease spreading among them. Hey, the more you know.

Now for a bit of meme history. You might be surprised to learn that the sad Keanu meme is nearly 14 years old at this point, having originally been taken by a paparazzi in New York in 2010. Reeves talked about the meme a year later in 2011 in the interview below, saying that he's not really as sad a person as the meme makes out, but he wishes people wouldn't take photos of him eating a sandwich.

In case you're thinking this is a hoax, Cyberpunk 2077 quest director Pawel Sasko poked a little fun at the whole thing in the tweet just below. Who can blame Cyberpunk 2077's developers for wanting to have a little silly fun at the end of an seven-year development cycle?

As we mentioned previously though, this is to be Cyberpunk 2077's last big update with new features. The likes of new romantic interactions, personal radio, gang missions, and driving improvements will round out CD Projekt's game with a bow. After update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty delivered huge new overhauls earlier this year, it's time for the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel's development to begin.

If you're playing CD Projekt's huge expansion, you can head over to our Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty endings guide for a look at how to achieve every end-state in the game.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.