With their Netrunner theme, CD Projekt Red has just pulled a huge one this time around. Out of the blue, the official Cyberpunk 2077 account creates a stir and makes its way to everyone’s timeline with a mysterious and totally uppercase message that looks like it has been copied straight from a Militech databank. Secure communication channel? Priority transmission? It would be hard to believe it but it has players running around, choom, for sure. The message refers to three dates: 10.12, 12.12, and 29.12. And it refers to Reed, Solomon, and Song, So Mi, by name. The message ends there. That is it. No story, only feelings. The internet, as it usually does, was very quick to go nuts over this.
Why not we examine this closely, preem? The first date, 10.12, is accompanied by ‘CYBERPUNK 2077’ as the only word. This is December 10th. Which, of course, is the fifth birthday of the game for those who were not on a rock scoping the Badlands. That’s right, V hasn’t been living the night life in Night City for five years already. Incredible. Thus, something enormous should happen, right? The community is very noisy trying to guess it. It might be a shadow-drop update? Surprise DLC? What if finally… a New Game Plus mode? Gamers have been crying out for that since, like, 2021.
The other two dates are even more interesting. 12.12 is for ‘REED, SOLOMON’. This is crystal clear to be Solomon Reed, the FIA agent portrayed by Idris Elba from the Phantom Liberty expansion. Next, 29.12 is for ‘SONG, SO MI’. Songbird, the netrunner with the high-stakes problem from the same expansion, is the one referred to here. So, what’s going on? In-game character birthday celebrations only? Or is CDPR hinting at more story for these individuals? The replies are a lovely jumble of speculation, hype, and the usual Night City salt.
One user, Makko AI, perfectly captured it when he said the vibe was: ‘Bro they really sending dates like a hacker movie lol.’ Absolutely. It is the whole vibe and CDPR is right there with it. Meanwhile, some people just throw their biggest dreams into the dark. One comment screams, ‘GAME PLUS MODE CHOOM!’ Another one questions, ‘Can you dudes please give the ps4 version one more update?’ which, oof, that’s a mood. And, of course, the PS5 Pro hopefuls are also very vocal. ‘Hoping for a PS5 Pro upgrade!’ is heard frequently. The comment section has turned into a whole wishlist.
However, not everyone finds the situation so exciting. Some very negative comments have been made. User CrotchetyWarden even went as far as to call Cyberpunk 2077 ‘the most pointlessly open world AAA game ever,’ claiming that the city was empty and lacking in character. Ouch, choom, what a way to put it. Others like LizardPhantasm adopt a more moderate approach saying: ‘Chooms chill, they aren’t going to add more content to the game. These posts are mainly for the in-game birthdays.’ They might be! But still, the timing of the anniversary makes it feel like more than just a calendar reminder.
But the real focus of this reaction is that it has shown how far this game has come. User AngelOfDC beautifully summed it up: ‘Went from wondering how a game could flop so hard…..to wondering how I can ever stop playing it.’ That truly is the journey from a launch that was… let’s say ‘problematic’… to a game that is now considered a classic by many, especially after the 2.0 makeover and Phantom Liberty. Another player, Graham M Stein, thanked the designers for ‘caring just as much about the community as you do,’ and mentioned that they respond to messages. Interaction is a major factor in the comeback story.
So, what will happen on the December 10th? I think we will have to wait and see. Perhaps a small free anniversary gift pack, which may consist of new jackets, a car, or perhaps that crystalcoat weapon finish that they had added before. The possibility of their being something more is there. The naming of Reed and Songbird is the real shock. It is not likely that it is a full-fledged second expansion; they have already declared that Phantom Liberty is the one and only. But what if it is a small, free narrative vignette? A final farewell? Or maybe, just maybe, it is a tease for the sequel, Project Orion? Most likely not, but a gonk can still dream.
