I really Like the concept art look for Johnny Silverhand but anyone know why they went from the Concept art to Just Keanu? I love Keanu and him as JS but why’d they make him look like Keanu instead of working off the Concept art? Keanu could’ve just been the voice
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Probably because they signed Keanu lol
So they adapted their designs to fit the actor they knew they’d be working with.
so they could get the most out of the deal with signing keanu reeves to play him. ngl, i immediately thought cyber jim morrison when seeing this, and knowing the character i feel that was intentional. a drug-addled, renegade rockerboy just feels right looking like jim morrison
Having characters look like the VA is getting really popular. They changed the Spiderman model to look like either the actor or the VA I can’t remember too. And god knows we’ve seen Debra Wilson’s face in so many games it’s starting to feel a bit uncanny.
Personally I don’t like it either. I don’t want to see recognizable faces in my video games. I’m not into celebrities, I don’t watch movies or TV. It kind of takes me out of the immersion.
Money
Cos Johnny is an asshole but they also want the players to like him, be onboard with him and do his quest. hence he’s voiced and modeled after Keanu reeves, the actor you cannot hate
Because they got Keanu Reeves
Keanu
I love that Keanu is in the game but that original design is fire
Crazy how that looks just like Raz0rfist from YouTube
probably bc they wanted him to look like keanu
Remember the E3 2019 and “wake the fuck up Samurai” moment? It was worth it. Cyberpunk was Steam top-seller for few weeks since then.
Nicolas cage was one of the candidates for johnny, so maybe that’s why he looks different. And then later they decided on keanu
Because Keanu was basically at the height of his popularity and they wanted to use his face to promote the game. That’s why current Johnny is basically Keanu 1:1.
I also think they maybe wanted Johnny to be more sympathetic and charismatic? Concept art Johnny looks like a psycho crackhead.
Is he stupid?
It’s fairly common with newer IP’s (now a days) to have a character look like the actor that’s voicing them. It’s interesting with Johnny though. I felt like because it’s Keanu Reeves specifically, we’re instantly more inclined to trust Johnny when it comes to various gameplay situations b/c Keanu is so universally liked.
He wasn’t breathtaking enough…
The original design fits the character Johnny has
bc they saw keanu and they had to use his face no matter what
Looks like Andrew Eldritch from Sisters Of Mercy.
You get Keanu to be in your game, you use Keanu in your game
The concept art looks like Shane McGowan (who tbf would have been awesome in the role…)
I have to admit this. I saw some really early footage of CP2077 but I wasnt all that interested as it was first person but it was CDPR who were behind the Witcher 3 which I loved and played the snot out of. Then saw something alittle later again was like whoa but not so interested. When the trailer dropped with Keanu and him picking you up and saying wake the fuck up or whatever it was. I was like oooh I think I gotta get this…😂
Because the first one looks like shit.
I probably would’ve liked Johnny a lot less if they went with the concept Johnny tbh. Look like more of a douche. Would’ve fit pretty good too with his attitude. Keanu just has a likable face
Marketing lol. Do you know how many people probably bought Cyberpunk 2077 JUST for the fact Keanu is in it as a visual character? If it was just the voice I think most people wouldn’t have really cared who otherwise did.
Because why in the hell would you hire Keanu Reeves for this role if you didn’t use his likeness? He’s not a top tier voice actor
Just look at Solomon in the Phantom Liberty trailers. He absolutely crushes his lines, then there’s Johnny who says something like “Stick some iron to someone’s head. Pull the trigger” in the most dull way possible
I like Keanu as Johnny, I think he has some great moments. But I actually think Johnny’s character would’ve been 100x more believable if they went with that concept and a more expressive voice actor with range
You ever notice how Johnny’s best acting in the entire game was when he met V in the apartment? The reason is because he was doing performance capture during parts of the scene so he really put his all into it. I don’t think he does super well behind a booth
what the fook
Wasn’t he originally meant to be like David Bowie? This looks like concept art around that