The moon, the play and the end of history: A study of lunar temporality in Cyberpunk 2077

Abstract

This article aims to analyse the representation of the moon in the open-world action RPG Cyberpunk 2077, released by CD Projekt Red in 2020, and its influence on a experience of time during the play. A close reading of CD Projekt’s title suggests a non-mimetic, cinematic and subjective approach to time in the game. Additionally, in Night City, the moon does not change its appearance and remains in its full phase almost until the end of the game. It serves as a bridge between the pre-designed narrative and the ludic interactions with the open world, creating an experience unique to the medium of video games. It signalizes that the player and their avatar V have entered the diachronic, atemporal space. At the same time, the lunar temporality can be read as an emanation of cyberpunk’s frozenness-in-time and its embrace of the neo-liberal version of the end of history.