Just yesterday, CD Projekt Red published official tools and resources for players eager to modify its sci-fi RPG to better suit their tastes. We imagine the developer intended for players to use the tools to make the game perform slightly better or add fun new ideas to the game, but already the company has had to pull one mod from the internet. The mod attracted concern from the developer because it allows you to swap character skin textures between models. Whilst that may seem perfectly innocent on a cosmetic level, in the hands of some more ‘creative’ modders, it became ethically questionable. Correctly utilized, the mod allowed players to swap the skins of other NPCs in the RPG to that of Johnny Silverhand, who – as CD Projekt Red made everyone aware – is played by Keanu Reeves. That’s not ideal when ‘sexbots’ exist in the title. “Our most important rule regarding user-generated content… is that it can’t be harmful towards others,” the developer said in a statement to PC Gamer, commenting on why the patch had been removed. “In the case of model swaps, especially those that involve explicit situations, it can be perceived as such by the people who lent us their appearance for the purpose of creating characters in Cyberpunk 2077.” CD Projekt Red has long supported mods, and a cursory look on any search engine will show you there’s a plethora of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt mods, all created with a lewd endgame in mind. Of course, when you’re using a real-life actor’s likeness, there are other things to consider. Though Reeves’ character does have to engage in sexual activities in the game, the player is usually anchored in a first-person view and watching from a distance. Which, we’re sure you’ll agree, is quite different from having Johnny Silverhand mounting you and speaking with a ‘sexbot’s’ voice lines. CD Projekt Red isn’t just being prudish, though. In fact, the developer appears eager for players to experiment with non-likeness based NPCs. “For the characters we’ve invented for the game, we broadly permit you to tweak the game at will and just have fun,” the studio said to PC Gamer. “When it comes to models of real people whom we’ve asked to participate in the game, we kindly ask you to refrain from using them in any situation that might be found offensive if you don’t have their explicit permission.” Hands off Hideo Kojima, then. The mod has been removed, but you can see what it allowed you to do in the video below.
