Translation of the interview Mike Pondsmith gave to GOG, a platform owned by CD Projekt Red
More than three decades after the first Cyberpunk tabletop RPG was published, its creator is now watching the immense sci-fi world he designed come to life. Mike Pondsmith played a big part in helping CD Projekt Red make Cyberpunk 2077 a unique RPG experience, and today we had the chance to ask him a few questions.
GOG.COM: What does it feel like to be the creator of a sci-fi game universe that inspired one of the biggest titles in the world?
Mike Pondsmith: Fascinated. This project is immense, and so many people contributed to making it what it is. I knew 2077 would be a great game; that is why I trusted CDPR to make it. What I did not expect was the immense response from the fans and the size and scale of this creation.
If you could describe working on Cyberpunk 2077 with CD PROJEKT RED in one word, what would it be and why?
Collaboration. The ideas and how we do things flow between us, and that is why we have such a fantastic game. This could have been just a licensee-and-author deal, but both sides worked together toward the same goal, as equals.
2020 was hard for many people. Do you think recent events have brought us closer to the Cyberpunk universe you created – with mega-powerful corporations gaining more power and the internet being the main place to look for freedom and free speech?
Yes, 2020 was a monster. Right now, I feel like we are 20 minutes from the Dark Future, but we could still use the tools we have to reverse the process. We just have to really want it. Remember: Cyberpunk is a warning, not a goal!
What do you believe is the most important difference between the world you imagined in the original 1988 Cyberpunk and its new version, Cyberpunk 2077?
Night City’s world is much more crowded with people and things. In the end, there are limits to what a tabletop RPG can show and what a video game can show. So, even though there are many similarities, the biggest difference is the absurd scale and proportion (of the world)
Do you play video games in your spare time? If so, what are your favorite games?
What is this spare time thing you speak of? One of these days, I will go back to playing Red Dead, Transformers War for Cybertron, Star Wars Fallen Jedi, Gundam Trilogy, VA-11 Hall-A and No Man’s Sky. Right after I am done playing myself to exhaustion in Cyberpunk 2077, though.
Is there an element in the game – in terms of universe, gameplay or characters – that you are most eager to see in all its glory once Cyberpunk 2077 launches?
I plan to just log in and wander around the city I created 30 years ago, and be blown away. This time, it will not all be in my head.
Max Xavier
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