Keen-eyed viewers may have noticed an Easter Egg referencing The Witcher in the latest Cyberpunk 2077 demonstration. Developer CD Projekt Red is best known for their work on The Witcher franchise, based on the books by author Andrzej Sapkowski. The third entry in the trilogy, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, has sold over 28 million copies, making it one of the biggest smash hits of the past decade. In the wake of this overwhelming success, the team has moved on to a new franchise with their latest title, Cyberpunk 2077.
Based on the pen-and-paper RPG series by Mike Pondsmith, Cyberpunk 2077 is one of 2020's most highly-anticipated games. The first-person RPG aims to replicate the "tabletop" experience while adding in production values and fast-paced combat that are only possible through the power of video games.
Since both The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 are the work of developer CD Projekt Red, players are hoping Cyberpunk 2077 will contain numerous Easter Eggs referencing the epic fantasy series. Those hopes are already confirmed with a subtle nod noticed by Reddit user flarews. A magazine in Cyberpunk 2077 advertises a car called the "Aerondight." This is a reference to the sword of the same name found in all three mainline entries of The Witcher. However, in the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the iconic silver sword can only be found in the Blood & Wine expansion, and it is bestowed upon Geralt by the Lady of the Lake.
This is a nice little nod to The Witcher, but it's not the first Easter Egg connecting the two franchises. In fact, there's evidence in The Witcher 3 that both series are part of the same multiverse of dimensions. Near the end of The Witcher 3, Ciri explains to Geralt that she had traveled to different worlds while eluding the eponymous Wild Hunt. One of the worlds she mentions bears a striking similarity to that of Cyberpunk 2077. She describes people with metal embedded in their heads, personal flying ships, and long-range weaponry. While there's certainly room for plausible deniability, it's obvious Ciri is referencing the world of Cyberpunk.
CD Projekt Red creates worlds that are vivid and full of detail, and Cyberpunk 2077 looks like it's their most densely packed setting to date. There will surely be countless stories to unpack in Night City, and players will get to discover them for themselves when Cyberpunk 2077 releases on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this November before getting next-gen ports in 2021. Who knows, maybe The Witcher 3's Ciri will show up at some point, establishing a canon link between the two franchises.
Source: Reddit