After releasing the Cyberpunk 2077 E3 story trailer, CD Projekt Red started a frame-by-frame series; each new episode takes a scene from the trailer and offers fans insight into the world of Night City. The latest episode, the tenth in series, turns its attention to fame and fortune in the setting. This Cyberpunk 2077 blog explains how self-promotion is vital to advancement in Night City’s society.

The Path to Fame in Cyberpunk 2077

Thus far, CD Projekt Red’s blog has reinforced the aesthetic which pervaded the E3 story trailer; Night City isn’t an easy place to live. Most people are poor and oppressed by society and technology. Advancing in such a society is extremely difficult, and according to Episode 10 of the Cyberpunk 2077 blog, the key to it is self-promotion.

“For most, despite pervasive violence and poverty, leaving Night City is not an option.” explains the latest blog; “Everyone is a lone wanderer in their own right and Night City presents an undying hope for fame and success where failure is the ultimate fear.” The description certainly matches with the presentation of V, the protagonist; a lone wanderer in Night City whose story is up to the player to determine.

“Self-preservation and self-promotion,” continues the post; “—not money—are the driving forces behind societal advancement. In order to be someone, you have to be more than yourself. To become immortal, you have to become a brand, an ideal.” A previous blog post dealt with show-business and “braindance“; a highly invasive form of reality entertainment delivered to fans via virtual reality. It seems likely that forms of entertainment like that and this theme of self-promotion are closely intertwined. Social media celebrities today already rely on self-promotion and personal brands to gain fame; it’s easy to imagine that Night City’s version of that is even more ruthless and invasive.