Cyberpunk 2077 video goes 'behind the scenes' of the E3 cinematic trailer

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CD Projekt has released a new "behind the scenes" trailer showcasing some of the work that went into making the big Keanu Reeves-revealing Cyberpunk 2077 cinematic that debuted at E3.

It's not a detailed look into the creative process: The video is really just a fast cut of the cinematic set to cyber-music, with assets in various states of completion that illustrate things like textures being layered onto objects. But there's also a closeup look at Dexter DeShawn's facial animations that's very impressive, and a few clips of motion capture that play out beside the cinematic counterpart, including Jackie's death scene and V's fight with DeShawn's goon.

The video only hints at the amount of work that goes into making a game (and a trailer) of this scope, but it's fun to see how all the pieces come together—like the way a mo-cap actor slipping off the edge of a table becomes a frantic slide across the hood of a getaway car as bullets go whizzing by. And maybe it's best not to go too deep on it just yet—don't want to spoil the magic before the game is even out.

Cyberpunk 2077 is scheduled for release on April 16, 2020. CD Projekt recently committed to adding multiplayer sometime after that.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.