GTA feels more alive than Cyberpunk 2077 because Night City "doesn't feel like a real place," says former Fallout and Skyrim artist: "That aspect of it doesn't hit you on the same level at all"

Former Fallout lead artist Nate Purkeypile has explained why he believes Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't capture the feeling of a real city.

When it comes to open-world games, some will focus on the size of their map instead of the density of it, while others are all about world-building. A lot of Breath of the Wild's map is open space, but as soon as you arrive in any of the game's many villages, you get a real sense of what the world is like and each of their cultures. But there are a few who manage to excel in both places, namely the likes of GTA games and Fallout: New Vegas, but despite being one of the most beloved open-world games in recent memory, the former Fallout lead artist doesn't buy Cyberpunk 2077's city.

Speaking to Esports Insider, Purkeypile was asked what the limits of making a city work and feel alive without breaking the game. He said, "You have to test things more, dramatically so, but it does make it a lot more interesting," explaining, "Playing a GTA game versus Cyberpunk, one feels like an actual city, and one doesn’t. I love Cyberpunk and had a great time with the game, but that aspect of it doesn’t hit you on the same level at all. It doesn’t feel like a real place, really."

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Granted, I'm not entirely sure I agree with his assessment, as I personally found Night City a far more engaging environment than the likes of Los Santos, even if the NPCs are less dense. Plus, Night City is a sci-fi setting compared to GTA's contemporary style, which makes it much harder to feel like a real place. Neither game really gives the NPCs much to do other than be objects in the world, but even then, I'd rather a game be filled with interesting events that make the world feel alive, like Rockstar focused on in Red Dead Redemption 2.