Cyberpunk 2077 has been in development for a long time. Many, many years ahead of the eventual 2020 launch, there was another version of the game.
After getting a load of the footage on X, it's clear that this would have been a very different vibe. Many fans are happy that we ended up getting the game we got.
Cyberpunk 2077 was in development for a long time, specifically in 2012, after the enhanced edition of The Witcher 2 was released. Originally, CD Projekt Red was going for a different vibe, following a collaboration with famed writer Mike Pondsmith. While it drew on the same dystopian inspirations, it looked very different.
Content warning for the video below: nudity
Sporting a third-person camera, we see our playable character get out of bed and answer a phone call. A woman is naked in the shower nearby, and the dialogue is a lot more upbeat and mission-based. Although this is pre-alpha footage, it gives us an idea of what they were going for: a potentially more traditional open-world RPG angle. The main character is a lot more social, talking to neighbors and many different people before the day even begins....
