CD Projekt Red always brings a special attention to detail in its games: I remember my shock at learning about the Witcher 3 easter egg that takes seven in-game years to find. That same sensibility definitely holds strong in Cyberpunk 2077, where you can actually find Idris Elba’s character, Solomon Reed—who was added to the game in the Phantom Liberty expansion—tucked away in Night City minding his own business before you start Phantom Liberty’s main quest.
Madd Gamer on YouTube shared a video of the encounter late last year. In an early conversation with Reed, the New United States superspy tells off his boss over the phone before explaining that he has a day job as a bouncer to help keep cover. A neat enough little character detail, but you can actually be (almost) bounced by Reed before you even know who he is.
Reed’s not even terribly far off the beaten path either: the bar he works at also serves as the home base of fixer (read: questgiver) Dino Dinovic. While most fixer quests are just handled over the phone, the city’s ubiquitous middlemen also have little hangouts marked on the map where you can go pay your respects and do a little roleplaying.
Reed’s slightly incognito at work, wearing a baseball cap and glasses, while he left his signature trench coat at home. He also doesn’t have too much to say either, just generic “Watch it, bub” NPC barks. I now have this intrusive image of Golden Globe-winning actor Idris Elba up in the studio recording “Have you heard of the High Elves?”-level filler dialogue. Hey, it’s a living.
While this easter egg is a pretty small thing, it’s still such a cool detail, and definitely something CDPR could have gotten away with not including—Night City’s such a big place, I initially just suspended my disbelief and assumed Reed was out there in a story sense and not a gameplay one. The fact that the team didn’t have to do it, though, is what makes its inclusion all the more impressive.
www.pcgamer.com