Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Marvel's Spider-Man Secret Lair promotional image

    Get a Look At the Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man Superdrop

    09/08/2025
    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions gameplay still

    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions Is All About Adventure (with Friends)

    09/08/2025
    Chord in Persona 5 The Phantom X

    Now Is The Perfect Time To Jump Back In ‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’

    09/05/2025
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Features » ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Is Expanding Character Creation and I’m Here for It

‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Is Expanding Character Creation and I’m Here for It

QuinnBy Quinn03/10/20205 Mins ReadUpdated:12/21/2023
Cyberpunk 2077 Character Creator — But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Roleplaying games have come far from their roots, especially when concerned with playable character creation and design, expanding skin tones, body types, hairstyles, and even voice options. But there’s always been a lag when it comes to non-binary and trans representation. It’s understandable why this is the case, but with the ever-expanding inclusion and acceptance of non-binary persons into popular media and society as a whole, it’s about time we see an extension of this into RPGs as well. CD PROJEKT RED’s Cyberpunk 2077 is fixing this by creating an inclusive character creator.

Transgender inclusion in video games has increased over the years. We’ve seen additions of transgender characters in big-name videogames from Cremisius Aclass in Dragon Age: Inquisition to Janeva in Horizon: Zero Dawn. But these are all NPCs, so what about playable characters? Creating a non-binary or transgender character can be hard in current RPG setups. For one, you’re forced to choose either a female or a male template. In some RPGs, this limits the hairstyles you can choose from, the extras you can apply such as makeup or facial hair, and the voice you pick.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

RPG games have always been praised when allowing expansive character customization. However, despite this, options are often tied and limited to one sex. And certainly, there are RPGs out there that have been more inclusive and are breaking down how a man or woman should look by increasing plasticity. For example, Mass Effect Andromeda allowed male characters to wear makeup which was a pretty big deal at the time. But one of the main options that remain rigid is voice choice. Some games only allow people who’ve chosen ‘female’ to only choose a female-sounding voice and vise-versa for male options.

As a society, we’re finally adopting the idea that women and men don’t have to look a specific way. Our idea of gender and sex is expanding, so much so that not everyone feels the need to even pick one of these labels and instead fall under the umbrella of non-binary gender. Collectively, we’re realizing that we don’t need to adhere to a standard of rules that say what is and isn’t acceptable for a person simply based on their genitalia. And yet, our games still work by this methodology. We pick a box before fine-tuning our character’s features within this box. However, CD PROJEKT RED, well-known for The Witcher series, is changing things up with its newest game: Cyberpunk 2077.

Now, CD PROJEKT RED isn’t without its mishaps. Then again, many companies have tried to walk the slippery slope of trying to be hip and young to connect with their younger consumer base while also trying not to be offensive. In a lot of cases, transgender folx have become the butt of many jokes.

Cyberpunk 2077 Character Creator — But Why Tho

Despite some Twitter drama, CD PROJEKT RED does seem to want to create a more inclusive environment. Originally, the demo Cyberpunk 2077 character creator required gamers to pick the sex of your character before getting to the nitty-gritty of character creation. After plenty of feedback, the company has decided to remove this option. Instead, the Cyberpunk 2077 character creator will let you pick a body type and then go from there. Although from new reveals about the character creation, these two body types are traditionally what we would consider female and male passing, the most radical part of this change is that the game will allow the mixing and matching of all possible traits in the character creator, which opens the realm of possibilities for everyone, cis and transgender persons alike.

As someone who is non-binary and transgender, it has always been hard to create a character that I believe truly represented me in many RPGs. Many trans and non-binary folx are not cis-presenting; in other words, we don’t necessarily look like cis-women or -men. Many RPG character creators are based on the idealized versions of what men and women should look like and therefore exclude both non-binary and trans people who, even those who physically transition, may never be able to attain these idealized characteristics.

Expanding options helps not only trans people but also everyone who picks up the game; there’s no one way to be a woman or a man, and expanding options allows people to be themselves and not feel they need to adhere to an outdated idea of gender roles. If a game wants to emulate human nature, why try to force a binary onto a human experience that is everything but binary?

Overall, this change is great for all gamers and really expands the hope for more inclusivity. If a big game company such as CD PROJEKT RED thinks that it’s important to be inclusive and create a game that supports non-binary and trans gamers, then there may be hope that others will also see the merit in representing and including these groups in their videogames. The impact that CD PROJEKT RED could make is massive and really makes me excited to get my hands on Cyberpunk 2077.

Cyberpunk 2077 is available on all platforms. 

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleUbisoft Announces the Season 2 Pass for Anno 1800 for 2020
Next Article PRODUCT REVIEW: XFyro ARIA the Wireless Earbuds for Active Listeners in Mind
Quinn

Quinn is an editor and comic and video game writer with a love for Transformers and cyberpunk. As a nonbinary person, Quinn also takes pleasure in evaluating the inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in media.

Related Posts

Marvel's Spider-Man Secret Lair promotional image

Get a Look At the Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man Superdrop

09/08/2025
Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions gameplay still

Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions Is All About Adventure (with Friends)

09/08/2025
Chord in Persona 5 The Phantom X

Now Is The Perfect Time To Jump Back In ‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’

09/05/2025
Cosmic Spider-Man card details

[EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

09/02/2025
Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

09/01/2025
Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2 But Why Tho 10

Spider-Man Is Coming To Magic And It’s Just Like The Comics

08/29/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

By Kate Sánchez09/11/2025Updated:09/11/2025

The Long Walk is a brutal watch. Equally heartfelt and heartbreaking, it’s one of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s work.

EA Sports FC Icons Match promotional image from Nexon News

2025 Icons Match Returns With Football Legends Bridging The Pitch And Video Games

By Kate Sánchez09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

NEXON has announced the return of the ‘2025 Icons Match,’ a live event that brings a full roster of legendary players to the pitch.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11
8.5
Anime

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Episode 11 – “Hey, It’s a Kaiju”

By Allyson Johnson09/11/2025

The ragtag group faces down the mysterious kaiju in the thrilling and beautifully animated DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here