Cyberpunk 2077’s Trans Representation Problems Explained (UPDATED)

Cyberpunk 2077 has finally been released, but the game comes with a series of major issues with trans representation. This isn’t the first time CD Projekt Red, the studio behind the game, has been shown to have issues with the trans community. But, while Cyberpunk 2077 had a lot of potential to address these problems, it ended up missing the mark.

Many games are behind the times in regards to representing gender-nonconforming characters, and most don’t include any trans characters at all. Game studios should be more conscious of the existence of, and include proper representation of, characters who are not cisgender. The more common thing, however, is a problematic portrayal of trans people, which is the case in Cyberpunk 2077.

There are several terrible choices the makers of Cyberpunk 2077 made in regards to the representation of the trans community. An advertisement for an energy drink in the game shows a sexualized feminine person with a highly prominent erection, paired with the slogan, “Mix It Up.” The character creator allows players to choose any body type and genital combination, which is some nice progress, but the character’s pronouns are tied to the pitch of their voice, with no option for non-binary pronouns. These issues in the game, combined with a lack of trans story characters and past problematic statements from CDPR, paint a troublingly transphobic picture of the game and the studio that made it.

How Cyberpunk 2077 Gets Trans Representation Wrong

The first and most glaring of Cyberpunk 2077‘s trans representation issues was its “Mix It Up” in-game advertisement. Using a trans model in an advertisement is no issue by itself, and a real discourse about corporations taking advantage of trans people for profit would be quite welcome and compelling. But at Cyberpunk 2077‘s launch, there was no major story point or dialogue addressing the advertisement, so it ended up being just a joke, making fun of the struggle with body dysphoria many trans people have to deal with. The product being advertised is called Chromanticore, which is named after a mythical creature made up of the pieces of different animals. This reference, combined with the “Mix It Up” slogan, make light of the struggle trans people have with feeling comfortable in their bodies. The advertisement implies that a person’s struggle with gender is just a fun choice to be changed on a whim and shows just how little CDPR understands about the trans community.

CDPR’s lack of understanding of trans experiences is made all the more apparent by Cyberpunk 2077‘s character creation. When the option to customize the player character’s genitals was announced, it seemed like a win for the trans community. Players would be able to portray the character they wanted, without worrying about gender norms. This turned out to be far from the case, as players are locked to playing a woman or a man based solely on their chosen voice option, which determines whether they have she/her or he/him pronouns. This feature supports a widely held idea that a person’s gender is tied to external traits, such as the pitch of their voice. The idea that trans people are only valid if they can manage to blend in with cisgender people is a highly problematic and damaging viewpoint that serves to further alienate trans players. And this character creation system could have easily been implemented properly if CDPR was committed to being progressive and inclusive.

CD Projekt Red’s Past Issues With The Trans Community

It’s no surprise that Cyberpunk 2077 has so many problems when it comes to proper trans representation, when looking at the way CDPR has interacted with the community in the past. In a 2018 response to a Twitter user who said they wanted to see more from the “GUYS” at CDPR, the official Cyberpunk 2077 account tweeted, “Did you just assume their gender?!” (via Polygon). The tweet may seem innocent enough, but it is once again a joke at the expense of the trans community. Responses like this make fun of the idea that people get offended when they are misgendered, which is something trans people often deal with on a daily basis. When pressed, CDPR took down the offending tweet and offered a kind of non-apology, saying sorry to “all those offended” instead taking responsibility for its actions, as Polygon pointed out.

The problems in Cyberpunk 2077 paint an unfortunately transphobic picture. There are several things CDPR could do to improve the trans representation in the game. Some mention of the offending advertisement in a mission, designed to inform the player of the issue or make it clear that it’s something to be reviled, rather than a joke, would be a major help. Also, the addition of a gender option that isn’t based on voice or another trait could make trans players feel more validated and comfortable playing the game. Whatever amount of work it might take to implement, these changes would help make major strides for trans representation in gaming and might even help CD Projekt recover from the game’s rough launch.

[Update 06/01/2021: A previous version of this article mistakenly labeled “dysphoria” as “dysmorphia,” which was incorrect. This has been adjusted.]

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