Cyberpunk is NOT "American" based

[Cyberdude]

Mike Pondsmith didn't invent cyberpunk as we know it. He only created a TTRRPG called cyberpunk 2020 based in America.

William Gibson created the cyberpunk universe as we know it. Pondsmith just copied his work (Night City comes directly out of Neuromancer).

Gibson's cyberpunk is predominantly Asian. Stemming from the tech centric industries of Japan in the 80s.

Please let's not have boring generic city of Chicago in cyberpunk 2. It had no history in cyberpunk ethos whatsoever.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

But Cyberpunk 2077 is based on the TTRPG, named Cyberpunk and created by Mike Pondsmith. So Night City is in North America, between south and north California...
Mike Ponsmith never claimed that he "invented" the Cyberpunk genre anyway

 

[Tarille]

Cyberpunk 2077 is based on the TTRPG, which predominantly focuses on an alternate American history centralized around Night City, a city that is based in America.

Meaning that the IP is very much ingrained in American culture and politics. (Though the asian influence is felt with the nature of Arasaka, a Japanese corporation, being one of the major powers in the world)

This has no bearing on the genre as a whole, other than being one piece of media utilizing said genre for their setting.

Of course, this is mostly just yet another form of confusion occuring because the IP has such a generic name that it's easy to get it confused with the name of the genre, either feeling like it's trying to portray itself as the genesis of the genre, or just making it awkward to talk about the genre without conjuring up the image of the IP.

 

[Spockprime]

I don't necessarily disagree with the statements you made about Cyberpunk predating Pondsmith, but I also don't see how they're in any way related to CP2077. Pondsmith's Night City is not the same thing as Night City in Neuromancer, although I wouldn't doubt that the name was intended to pay respects to Neuromancer.

As for Pondsmith's work more generally, it is what it is, and his Night City is in North America, with its own background lore. If CDPR is going to base their game on his work, which they did, then I can't see much argument to locating it anywhere other than where it is in the game.

I agree that I don't want a generic City of Chicago. Fortunately, I don't think that's what I got in CP2077, and I doubt that it's what they'll give us in CP2.

Edit to add: Gibson's work is rightly viewed as genre-defining. However as a side note, I don't think any claim to the origin of Cyberpunk can be had without also considering Blade Runner, which predates Neuromancer by a couple of years if I recall correctly. I'll leave it to the literature experts to argue about whether BR is true Cyberpunk, but in any event it certainly had its influence.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

I'll leave it to the literature experts to argue about whether BR is true Cyberpunk, but in any event it certainly had its influence.

To be honest, it doesn't sound super interesting to know/argue about who invented Cyberpunk genre (at least, I don't really care^^).

Andrzej Sapkowski surely did not invent the medieval-fantasy/heroic-fantasy genre while writing The Witcher. The Wicther is an original IP with its own world/univers/lore and it's all what matter. The same goes for George Lucas who likely did not invented the Space Fantasy with Star Wars.

 

[Tarille]

However as a side note, I don't think any claim to the origin of Cyberpunk can be had without also considering Blade Runner, which predates Neuromancer by a couple of years if I recall correctly. I'll leave it to the literature experts to argue about whether BR is true Cyberpunk, but in any event it certainly had its influence.

Blade Runner was even predated by Judge Dredd comics in 1977. Heck, Blade Runner, Neuromancer and Alien were all inspired by a story called The Long Tomorrow in the comic Metal Hurlant which was written in 1975

But even before then there was several novelists in the 70's that were using the "Cyberpunk" genre.

Though it's hard to consider any singular work the origin of the genre, since the genre itself is an adaptation of other styles.

Namely, the idea for Cyberpunk arose around the same time as things like Steampunk and Dieselpunk were being established (Steampunk being explored as early as the 40's and Dieselpunk as early as 1927 with films like Metropolis). Much like how the existence of the idea of Cyberpunk also lead to the creation of ideas such as Sci-Fi punk and punk-punk.

Hence the similar naming convention. Most of these styles were seeing use before the term was coined and it wasn't until later once Steampunk was named that people started using it as a way to define these other styles (As well as creating other terms like "Retrofuturism" as an umbrella term for both Steampunk and Dieselpunk as well as other styles that used similar themes of old and new - Such as the Fallout games that blend 40's aesthetic with futuristic laser guns and robots)

Meaning it wasn't like one person came up with the idea for the genre, then made a piece of media about it and called it Cyberpunk. It was simply a natural evolution of the existing themes covered in Steampunk and Dieselpunk just taken in a slightly different direction, one with a more distinct and "Futuristic" artstyle that often worked as a contrast to the gritty dystopian subject matter.

 

[Spockprime]

Blade Runner was even predated by Judge Dredd comics in 1977. Heck, Blade Runner, Neuromancer and Alien were all inspired by a story called The Long Tomorrow in the comic Metal Hurlant which was written in 1975

But even before then there was several novelists in the 70's that were using the "Cyberpunk" genre.

Though it's hard to consider any singular work the origin of the genre, since the genre itself is an adaptation of other styles.

Namely, the idea for Cyberpunk arose around the same time as things like Steampunk and Dieselpunk were being established (Steampunk being explored as early as the 40's and Dieselpunk as early as 1927 with films like Metropolis). Much like how the existence of the idea of Cyberpunk also lead to the creation of ideas such as Sci-Fi punk and punk-punk.

Hence the similar naming convention. Most of these styles were seeing use before the term was coined and it wasn't until later once Steampunk was named that people started using it as a way to define these other styles (As well as creating other terms like "Retrofuturism" as an umbrella term for both Steampunk and Dieselpunk as well as other styles that used similar themes of old and new - Such as the Fallout games that blend 40's aesthetic with futuristic laser guns and robots)

Meaning it wasn't like one person came up with the idea for the genre, then made a piece of media about it and called it Cyberpunk. It was simply a natural evolution of the existing themes covered in Steampunk and Dieselpunk just taken in a slightly different direction, one with a more distinct and "Futuristic" artstyle that often worked as a contrast to the gritty dystopian subject matter.

Oh, I had forgotten about Judge Dredd. That's a good one.

 

[Mordred]

Cyberpunk 2077 is based on the TTRPG, which predominantly focuses on an alternate American history centralized around Night City, a city that is based in America.

 

[JackiesBasketball]

I like the game no matter where it came from ^^