Character creation in Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the game's most anticipated features, yet little has been revealed about its final character creation system. Now, it seems that what little has been previously shown has now been retooled, with the biggest change to Cyberpunk 2077's character customization being the removal of the Male and Female preset options in favor of a new, genderless body type range of customizations.
In a recent interview, CD Projekt RED senior concept artist Marthe Jonkers answered a range of questions about Cyberpunk 2077's Night City. The interview then branched into questions regarding CD Projekt RED's controversies tied to gender representation and trans issues. Jonkers replied by saying that inclusivity is a priority for Cyberpunk 2077, which then led to a discussion regarding character creation in Cyberpunk 2077.
"We want you to feel free to create any character you want," is how Jonkers explains CD Projekt RED's change to character options. Players will no longer select their gender in character creation anymore. Early screenshots of character creation showed players choosing either "M" or "F" bodies. Instead, players will choose a body type. It's unclear if this means there will be more than two body types to choose from or if CD Projekt RED is simply removing the labeling. Either way, the effort is still meaningful.
Jonkers continues, saying that once players choose their body type, they'll then be able to choose a voice. There will be only two voices to choose from, one masculine and the other feminine, which can be mixed and matched. In addition to the genderless options, Jonkers says that other customization options have been expanded such as Skin tones, tattoos, and hairstyles. "We really want to give people the freedom to make their own character and play the way they want to play."
While Jonkers doesn't specifically say that these changes were made to Cyberpunk 2077 in response to criticism, she does say that feedback is a big part of CD Projekt RED's development. "We just wanna know what we can improve on because we want to make a really good game and we really want to make a game that everybody is comfortable playing." These design choices both fit into the cyberpunk world and, through enabling the player to be comfortable in their character's bodies, lets CD Projekt RED really "tackle difficult issues" in its story.
Cyberpunk 2077 releases April 16 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Metro
