Cyberpunk 2077 shows photo mode in video days before launch

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Come with me, this one is for those who love taking in-game snapshots. On December 2, 2020, eight days before launch, CD Projekt RED published a video dedicated to Cyberpunk 2077’s photo mode, with the invitation: strike a pose and save your favorite moments in Night City.

Around the same time, the studio stressed that the December 10 date was still on. The wait had been long and full of scares: at E3 2019, the launch was set for April 16, 2020; then it moved to September 17, to November 19 and, finally, to December 10. The last delay was decided suddenly, and some developers even received death threats because of it, which is far too sad for any gamer heart.

The photo mode made perfect sense in a game like this. Night City was built to be photographed: the art team sought inspiration in Dieter Rams’s design, in the colors of artist Syd Mead and in Blade Runner, mixing old buildings with cutting-edge technology, like an old wooden door with a security LED light. The player lives as V, a mercenary with customizable face, voice, hair, body and clothes, so each photo could feature a different V.

Cyberpunk 2077 was made by a team of about 500 people, on the REDengine 4, and launched for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Stadia, also running on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S through backward compatibility.

What came next

The date was met, but the launch had many problems on the older consoles, and CD Projekt apologized and offered refunds. With updates, the native PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions, released on February 15, 2022, and the Phantom Liberty expansion, from September 2023, the game was reassessed by critics and the public. It passed 40 million copies sold by July 2026.