Cyberpunk 2077 Reportedly Refers To China Censorship As Winnie the Pooh

Leaked Cyberpunk 2077 source code reportedly reveals that developer CD Projekt Red referred to in-game content censored in China as “Winnie the Pooh.” The controversial term refers to a popular internet meme which compares Chinese President Xi Jinping to Disney’s honey-loving stuffed bear. The animated classic, along with many other pieces of media used to protest or poke fun at China’s government, has been banned by Chinese censors.

Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red was hacked in a February 2021 ransomware attack. The responsible party stole sensitive documents from CDPR’s internal servers, as well as the valuable source codes for Cyberpunk 2077, Gwent, and an unfinished build of The Witcher 3, data that was reportedly auctioned off to the highest bidder. Recently, those source codes have been reported to surface online, with the leaker group requesting “donations” of $10,000 from those looking for access. Cyberpunk 2077 was notoriously broken and buggy at launch (especially for last-gen console players), making an alleged Cyberpunk 2077 pre-launch glitch montage made by developers one of the more interesting finds in the stolen files.

According to a Reddit post by byranoboBP, Cyberpunk 2077‘s leaked source code supposedly flags content censored by the Chinese government as “Winnie the Pooh,” likely a lighthearted insult aimed at Chinese autocrat Xi Xinping. The use of the term by a large, growingly international developer has come as a shock to some. The Chinese censorship flag was discovered alongside flags for other content, such as nudity and drug use, though all of these flags have more mundane names. If accurate, it’s possible that this now-public Winnie the Pooh reference could affect CD Projekt Red’s relationship with China.

The Chinese government’s penchant for censorship has also affected video games other than Cyberpunk 2077. Nintendo’s life sim title Animal Crossing: New Horizons was banned in China in 2020 following digital protests in Hong Kong. Activist Joshua Wong, who was part of a political movement fighting for democracy in Hong Kong, used Animal Crossing: New Horizons to spread political signage and slogans. The Chinese government responded by banning the game throughout China, causing global outrage.

CD Projekt Red’s data leaks are a massive blow against a company still attempting to recover from Cyberpunk 2077‘s disastrous launch. The developer had its information stolen and sold for profit, and the data is now slowly being released to the public. With the latest China-related leak now out in the open – whether real or fake – further potential censorship in China’s lucrative market could prove devastating for the company and publisher CD Projekt.

Cyberpunk 2077 is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Source: ranoboBP/Reddit

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