While the E3 2019 trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 might not deliver great story insights, the exciting and optically outstanding scenes really wet one's appetite for more - in addition to the appearance of Hollywood legend Keanu Reeves as legendary rockerboy Johnny Silverhand. The actor did not only enter the stage after the trailer at Microsoft's E3 presentation, but also announced the game's release date, being the 16th April 2020. The game takes place in the fictitious Night City, where players slip into the role of V, a mercenary who is looking for a unique implant said to be the key technology for immortality.

In the trailer, Mercenary V and his colleague Jackie Welles have apparently attracted a lot of attention in obtaining such chip. Dexter DeShawn, an underworld boss and V's client, however, doesn't seem to be happy with the trouble caused by the two. DeShawn sends V to the bathroom to clean himself, where we get to see a flashback of what happened. V and Jackie Welles barely managed to escape into a self-driving taxi in the midst of a shootout. While Jackie is severely wounded and taking his lasts breaths, he hands V the chip.

Unexpectedly, V is suddenly attacked by Dexter's bodyguard on leaving the bathroom. He, of course, defends himself, showing some of the cool modifications you can incorporate into your body in Cyberpunk 2077. These are not only scanners but also retractable blades that can be used to attack your enemies. After the protagonist kills the guard with his blades, the hacker Bug enters the fight. She blocks V's blades but doesn't manage to do so with his gun. The trailer ends in a shooting whose outcome seems somewhat confusing. After a reboot, V wakes up at a kind of scrap yard and is greeted by Keanu Reeves alias Johnny Silverhand, who asks to join him in destroying the Night City. Almost certain at this point is, that the character played by Reeves will take on a central role in the game - he was also mentioned in an in-game radio show reporting his supposed death in last years gameplay demo by CD Projekt Red.

Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077 Image: CD Projekt Red

Who is Johnny Silverhand?

Fans of the tabletop role-playing game Cyberpunk 2020 already know him: Johnny Silverhand is a legendary character within the game world who is notorious for his private war against the mega-corporation Araska. The Rockerboys of the Pen&Paper template Cyberpunk 2020 are the so-called poets of the street, rebels against the powers of the big corporations and were inspired by the real punks of the 90s. The Rockerboy class is characterized above all by its high charisma and its musical talent.

However, Johnny Silverhand appearing at the end of the latest trailer also raises some questions: Whoever still has the story of Cyberpunk 2020 in his mind knows, that Johnny Silverhand dies in 2024. This is in contrast to the last gameplay demo, where it was established that Johnny Silverhand did, in fact, do his last ride a year ago - in 2076. We will hopefully learn in the future, whether the rocker boy died in a motorcycle accident or was maybe even involved in much more dubious actions. Maybe, the Johnny Silverhand V meets is only a virtual projection? Will Keanu Reeves be another virtual companion of V in the role of Johnny Silverhand?