Help a guy out: Why does the Cyberpunk 2077 official art look like Naughty Dog jizzed over a piss-soaked bathroom?

[Deleted member 48897]

Cyberpunk is a genre that's about human creativity, about the underdog, about what are and what we could be -- the untapped potential of humanity, if only so many of us weren't held down by oppressors. It's about imagining, and changing. It's about, god, fucking color and shedding the drab forms often expected in the name of "professionalism" or bland commercial appeal.

So why the fuck does the art look more generic than, like, a fake video game invented for one of those crime procedurals where they invent a new nootropic-off-the-dark-web every episode?

 

[rpm]

the future is piss

It's like one of those new EA Sports covers but way worse

 

[Bjoern]

Because "white male with gun" apparently is the go-to cover art of today.
And I hate it.

 

[grand]

I.... What

 

[Jader7777]

Because real syfy art is too weird and abstract for a AAA market.

 

[Meg Cherry]

Because the demographic that actually buys a game based on cover art respond really well to extremely formulaic designs.

 

[microtransaction]

I dunno what to tell you man, I like it.

 

[Altazor]

I agree.

Then again, as great as CD Projekt's games are... their boxarts are pretty much inversely proportional to the game's quality. I mean, TW3's was literally "angry Geralt mid-pose against a white background", which showcased *nothing* of what the game really is about.

 

[DFG]

Can someone from Naughty Dog confirm this?

 

[Ernest]

Ugh. I wish this was Witcher 4...

 

[Dysun]

The yellow background sucks, but male V is fine

 

[Deleted member 18400]

You lost me with this post man....like what?

Also, this seems pretty hot take, reaction post like, so I assume this thread will be closed very soon.

 

[srtrestre]

Is this another leak?

 

[shark97]

love it. this game will sell sooooooooooooooooooooo much. that art is gonna help. it stands out so well.

 

[GringoSuave89]

The yellow background sucks, but male V is fine

Click to shrink...

Meh I'm happy the cover is reversable

 

[Deleted member 18944]

nice shit post, OP.

 

[Sou Da]

FACE DOWN

GUN UP

THAT'S THE WAY WE LIKE TO

 

[IIFloodyII]

DRUCKMANNN!

 

[Fart Master]

It's going to sell the game for a lot of people. "Dude with gun I like"

 

[Burt]

Oh no

Not yellow

 

[Brutalitops]

Looks fine. People looking for things to complain about, this shit will stand out clearly on a shelf

 

[Okabe]

 

[nib95]

Are you young, a teenager or new to gaming by any chance? You realise Naughty Dog didn't invent or even popularise white guy holding gun pose right?

 

[NESpowerhouse]

I think it's time for you to hit the hay and call it a night

 

[Deleted member 9035]

Is this another leak?

Click to shrink...

Lol

 

[Bradford]

I like the yellow. I wish the guy wasn't there though.

 

[Toxi]

Because the game isn't actually about any of those things.

 

[Jakisthe]

The yellow at least is a bold choice. Everything else is pretty generic though. It's becoming a lost art form, really.

 

[Aurc]

Naughty Dog... wh... wha? And where the bloody hell does their influence come through on that piece of promo art? I don't understand what you mean.

 

[Inuhanyou]

This reminds me of the complaints when Human Revolution was revealed...the yellow filter and all that

And what does Naughty Dog have to do with this cover art OP?

 

[Trickster]

I have no idea what that title is supposed mean. I know it's a scorching hot take though

 

[PopsMaellard]

It's a very bland looking game, from an art direction perspective. Just like The Witcher. A stunning technical achievement I'm sure, but the art just isn't there.

 

[Doukou]

Haven't seen that much yellow in a cyberpunk game since Deus Ex

 

[halcali]

Cyberpunk is a genre that's about human creativity, about the underdog, about what are and what we could be -- the untapped potential of humanity, if only so many of us weren't held down by oppressors. It's about imagining, and changing. It's about, god, fucking color and shedding the drab forms often expected in the name of "professionalism" or bland commercial appeal.

So why the fuck does the art look more generic than, like, a fake video game invented for one of those crime procedurals where they invent a new nootropic-off-the-dark-web every episode?

Click to shrink...

You're actually being too kind. =p

For an example of great official art, check out YARS' Revenge ('80s), Secret of Mana ('90s), Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 ('00s) and The Last Guardian ('10s)

 

[effin]

Honestly? As bland as That cover is it's also smart marketing on their part. Yellow works as a strong brand identifier, and the game already has more than enough buzz amongst these kind of gaming communities to know it'll sell fine.

They aren't marketing to you at this point, they are marketing to the average consumer who hasn't heard of Cyberpunk 2077 and will pick the game up because of a generic dudebro with a gun on the cover.

 

[Birdseeding]

I mean, the whole game is drowning in stereotypical white-male-with-gun-ness. It's referencing 1990s cyberpunk, but all the interesting trippy aspects have been sapped out, leaving a bland, middle-of-the-road mess. For the gamer that thought Blade Runner was too introspective, or gets creeped out by William Gibson, here's a dude with barely visible body modifications (but who's still conventionally hot!) who just shoots his way through all his problems, hooray.

 

[CloseTalker]

I mean, this is the company that gave us this.

At least it's an improvement

 

[Watercolour]

Way to be overly dramatic :/ it looks fine.

 

[SleepSmasher]

Huh, it looks ok?

 

[Teenage Fansub]

That's a pretty bold, neon, graphic yellow. What's wrong with yellow?

edit: And with the neon blue clashing. Some render of the game's environment would be more standard.

 

[Deleted member 48897]

I still can't handle how the dude looks like fucking has a "blue lives matter" bumper sticker on his car

 

[Deleted member 56773]

I have no idea why people are excited for this game other than The Witcher 3. I guess that's enough? I mean it's only one games and I've heard the other Witchers are pretty meh so....I dunno. So far nothing about this game looks interesting, it's been all flash and no substance.....which is like the opposite of the cyberpunk aesthetic.

 

[Enforcer]

I like it?

Yellow is the best color.

 

[Memento]

Wait... I might have lost something since I am not a native english speaker but... what?

 

[Zhukov]

Because they want to sell it to people who have never heard of the game, or Cyberpunk 2020 or even the genre of cyberpunk.

If you're on this forum then you probably know every damn thing about the game already and have a pretty good idea of whether or not you want to buy it. The cover art isn't going to change that. The cover art isn't aimed at you. It's aimed at someone walking into Gamestop or scrolling down a list on Steam.

It reminds me of Bioshock Infinite. When Ken Levine was asked why they went with the boring Guy With Gun And Some Sparks design, he gave the refreshingly honest answer of, "Because we need frat boys to buy it. Better to compromise on the cover than on the game itself."

 

[chrisPjelly]

Yellow background is fine. So long as the entire game doesn't have an obnoxious filter like Deus Ex, I'm good.

 

[Cordy]

Personally the only slight issue I have about this game is that the dude looks boring as hell. Like, he looks like the most boring person I've seen out of every character they showed in this trailer lol.

The art's cool but that dude man he looks so plain.

 

[Anustart]

Because it was designed by a marketing team to sell instead of whatever you think would look AWESOME but not be appealing?

 

[Deleted member 48897]

Really the big problem is that for those of us who remember the "did you assume their gender" jokes is that this cover looks like it's exactly the kind of game we were afraid it would be

 

[JayC3]

The framing of this thread won't lead to productive conversation, so we're locking it.