CD Projekt RED reveals that Keanu Reeves helped the team to develop the character of Johnny Silverhand. Reeves is providing the motion capture and voice work for rockstar Silverhand in the game and has the second most amount of dialogue of any character, but CD Projekt RED says that the actor helped to write some of it too.
Speaking to PCGamesN at Gamescom 2019, CD Projekt RED's senior concept artist Marthe Jonkers said that when Reeves was playing Silverhand, "he also had his own ideas about ‘this is what Johnny would say’ or ‘he would sound like this’." Jonkers also describes Reeves' work on Cyberpunk 2077 as "more of a collaboration than us telling him ‘please do it like this’," with the artist also saying that when players look at the character, they'll see "a part of Keanu in there."
The Hollywood actor, who stars in The Matrix and John Wick movie series', has really endeared himself to Cyberpunk 2077 fans since being announced as part of the game's cast. At E3 2019, he had a now famous moment with a fan who called him "breathtaking." That moment was also called one of the most wholesome moments of the annual games industry event and for weeks, fans didn't stop talking about how friendly and approachable the actor seemed.
Weeks after that, Reeves also took the time to autograph a sign that said "you're breathtaking."Cyberpunk 2077 fans may have only cared about the actor a little before this, but his actions during and since the announcement have turned many into superfans.
So, few will mind that Reeves has had such an input into the character of Johnny Silverhand. In the game, Silverhand appears in the protagonist's head because of a busted chip but he also seems to have an ulterior motive. Silverhand is a bit of a political activist too but by working together, Reeves and the Cyberpunk 2077 development team may have found a way to make the character likable and mysterious.
Hopefully, fans will get to see more of Reeves and his talents as an actor and part-time game developer very soon. CD Projekt RED has confirmed that new Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay will be shown later this month. There's no word on what it will include but for most people, new footage of Johnny Silverhand will be high up on the wishlist.
Cyberpunk 2077 will be released on April 16, 2020 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: PCGamesN
