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In Cyberpunk 2077 you're nobody if you're not in a gang—and you don't want to be nobody

by: Randy -
More On: Cyberpunk 2077

At the risk of turning it into Cyberpunk 2077 Day around here, there's one more video that came out of today's Night City Wire from CD Projekt Red. This one focuses on the gangs of Night City. 

According to the NCPD, these are the biggest and baddest running the map. "Scavs hold the body count title. Or Maelstrom—depending on the season." Maelstrom look like they've gone completely ape from all the cybernetics jammed into their bodies. Cyberpunk is about exploring the question: How much humanity do you have left if you replace all your human parts with cybernetics? And the Maelstrom look like they're pushing or have gone well over that boundary.

Then there's the Valentinos. This is what the New Testament would look like if you cyberpunk'd Holy Mary Mother of God. The Valentinos have a punishment for every occasion. If you're one of those people that think Mexico isn't "sending their best," then Cyberpunk 2077 is going to be a very scary place for you, cabron. 

Then there's 6th Street gang. They're the ones eating, sleeping, and uh, pooping the American flag. Or at least the cyberpunk version of the American flag. While the United States as we know it doesn't exist, the 2nd Amendment is alive and well with these folks. 

The Voodoo Boys will prey upon everything that scares you about Black lives and Black culture. Black magic. Urban myths. Better than you at netrunning. Treating their chunk of Night City like it's Haiti 2.0. And if none of these gangs scare you, well then:

"Animals are the craziest f---ing gang in this city," we're told. They're so pumped up with steroids and cybernetic fighting equipment that they're skin is splitting unable to hold it all in. They look like Fruit of the Loom grapes ready to roll into a WWE ring. They're hired muscle and just about nothing else. 

Whoops, another one: Tyger Claws. And if you think an Asian-based gang is nothing to worry about, then you haven't noticed the whole aesthetic of this thing called cyberpunk. China is the essence of Blade Runner, and Blade Runner is the essence of Cyberpunk. 

Moxes. They look like runway models with more tattoos and baseball bats than you want to run into on the street. Remember how I just said China is the essence of Blade Runner? Well, so is sex, which puts the Moxes at the heart of what also makes Night City tick. The Mox freak show is pimps, players, and prostitutes. And if you think any of them are going to be caught out alone, you're wrong. They've got each other's backs—not yours. 

Then out in the Badlands, away from Night City, are Nomads, Raffen Shiv, corporations, and drifters, all part of a precarious ecosystem where each piece hangs in the balance. The desert is just as busy as Night City. And the Badlands aren't the only place you'll hear fellow gang members refer to each other as family, but it somehow takes on a different don't-mess-with-us tone out there. 

Okay. Cyberpunk 2077. Still coming out November 19. No more delays. We all have two months to go. The game will be on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and also on PS5 and Xbox Series X.