Cyberpunk 2077 Character Creation System Won't Have Gender Options

CD Projekt Red aims to make Cyberpunk 2077 as inclusive as possible, so fans assumed that players would be able to choose from several gender options for their character with the fittingly genderless name, V. Recently, the developer shared more details about Cyberpunk 2077's character customization system and they revealed that there will be no gender options.

In a recent interview with Metro, Marthe Jongers, senior conept artist for Cyberpunk 2077, talked about why players won't be able to choose a gender option for their character. Here's what Jonkers said about the implementation of customization options:

"With (Cyberpunk 2077) we really want to make a video game that's really inclusive. Of course, if you tackle certain subjects then you will expect people to have an opinion about it and we respect that. And it's good that people give us feedback. And our character creation menu, for instance, compared to the last demo we now give you so many more options. For instance, you don't choose your gender anymore. You don't choose, ‘I want to be a female or male character' you now choose a body type. Because we want you to feel free to create any character you want. So you choose your body type and we have two voices, one that's male sounding, one is female sounding. You can mix and match. You can just connect them any way you want. And then we have a lot of extra skin tones and tattoos and hairstyles. So we really want to give people the freedom to make their own character and play the way they want to play."

Jonkers also talked about CD Projekt's approach to diversity and how they're constantly listening to feedback.

"Our team is very international and very diverse but we have asked for a lot of feedback. We always ask for feedback and even when we show these demos, we still ask people to tell us what they think. We just wanna know what we can improve on because we want to make a really good game and we really wanna make a game that everybody is comfortable playing. But at the same time we'll tackle difficult issues. It is a cyberpunk world after all."

Earlier this year, CD Projekt's Cyberpunk 2077 art was criticized as trasphobic.

Removing gender options from Cyberpunk 2077's character customization system should help blur the lines between gender, allowing players to be who they want to be.

Here's a description of the Cyberpunk 2077 game:

"Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure story set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification. You play as V, a mercenary outlaw going after a one-of-a-kind implant that is the key to immortality. You can customize your character's cyberware, skillset and playstyle, and explore a vast city where the choices you make shape the story and the world around you."

Cyberpunk 2077 is set to release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on April 16, 2020.

Related: 18 New Cyberpunk 2077 Screenshots Released at Gamescom