Cyberpunk 2077 E3 2018 Trailer Explained Frame by Frame

CD Projekt Red

The E3 2018 trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 was awesome but did you know that the cinematics were actual gameplay? Now, the developers are explaining their debut trailer one frame at a time.

CD Project Red is sharing their explanation in the new blog series published on their website, and here's what the first entry says:

Image: CD Projekt Red

Night City holds just as many stories as it does citizens, and almost every scene in the E3 2018 trailer tells a story of its own. The E3 2018 trailer is a result of hard work of the entire development team at CD PROJEKT RED and is based on concept art done over the years. Every scene is rendered in-engine and offers a great glimpse into the lives of people in Night City."

Night City is an independent megacity in the Free State of California, run by corporations. While geographically still in the territory of United States of America, it falls completely outside of California and the US law. Over the years, it's been fractured by corporation conflicts and gang wars. Those caught in-between, desperately try to survive, as riots and violence take over the city," explains the devs in their first episode talking about how the game itself became such a powerhouse for crime.

The second episode focuses more on how the A.I. and drones interact with society.

Image: CD Projekt

In 2077, society is vastly dependent on drones and robotics. From simple camera drones, able to both record and transmit live feed, to big clunky creatures, warehouse machinery and training bots. It's not unusual for people to see huge automated trash collectors or robots sweeping the streets. Either mass produced by corporations or put together from stolen trashed pieces of tech, robotics serve a huge role in both economics sectors and are an everyday addition to the life of people in Night City.

The third episode delves into the game's divided society and inequality.

Image: CD Projekt Red

In Night City, people want to dream big. The rat race is never over. The verticality of the city represents the social ladder. People at the bottom are literally living on the streets. They look up to those inside high buildings, as they look at the common folk from above. The city dictates the rules. It creates dreams and fuels people's aspirations. They are fed advertisement, they can peek into lives of those more fortunate and are always pushed towards the, often unattainable, dream of fame and luxury.

The social ladder concept can be seen in every aspect of life in Night City. The less fortunate folks, albeit with a less-than-ideal quality of life, still have access to technology thanks to charity shops, which hand out tech to the poor. Old computers are also fairly easy to get a hold of. This is crucial to the overexposure of advertisement and jump-starting people's dreams, which ultimately keeps them within the borders of Night City — in the trailer, we see exclusive fashion brands using holographic female models to show off their product line.

So far, only three episodes have been released for CD Projekt Red's blog series but the explanations have already revealed the incredible depth and experience their game has to offer. I'm excited to learn more about the cyberpunk world of Cyberpunk 2077.

Read more: First Cyberpunk 2077 Details Revealed: It Will Be A First-Person RPG