Developers responsible for localization are often unsung heroes of video game development, in that players rarely comment on their efforts unless there is something to complain about. But CD Projekt Red has managed an incredibly impressive technical feat with Cyberpunk 2077 that should help gamers from all over the world feel more at home in Night City.
After years of development and numerous delays, Cyberpunk 2077 is finally due to drop on November 19th. The title has already gone gold, which is unsurprising given the tremendous hype and anticipation surrounding the futuristic, RPG shooter, despite recent criticisms leveled at developer CDPR for its use of crunch. Ethical concerns notwithstanding, the developers' hard work seems to be paying off, as previews have revealed unprecedented levels of polish and numerous technical achievements.
Case in point, senior CDPR developers Miles Tost and Philipp Weber recently took to Twitter to share a landmark achievement in localization. Each language receiving a dub in Cyberpunk 2077 will have fully animated lip-syncs. While multi-lingual dubs have become an expected feature of all AAA releases, most languages merely dub over the same facial animations for a game's primary language. This level of consideration for languages that are often underserved is more evidence of Cyberpunk 2077's staggering attention to detail.
This achievement will not only help a broader base of players feel seen and represented, but it is also a technical marvel with major implications for the game industry as a whole. CDPR leveraged JALI Research's technology to procedurally assist facial animation adjustments in accordance with the languages being spoken. This technique could represent a sea change in how speech is rendered in games, saving animators and motion capture artists countless hours of manual effort, as one would imagine given the enormity of Cyberpunk 2077's Japanese dubbed script.
The feature also raises ethical discussions about the potential benefits of crunch. CDPR is pushing its team hard to finish polishing the game before launch, despite prior promises of making itself a more humane place to work. Detractors have argued that the added stress on developers is inexcusable, regardless of the benefits to consumers and technology. However, video game history is full of examples where working under intense constraints has yielded long-lasting, and far-reaching innovation, and many studios have asserted that the practice is inevitable.
Those rare gamers who are currently unfamiliar with Cyberpunk 2077 may want to look into an overview before its launch, as it seems safe to assume the title will be a hot topic of discussion for years to come. CDPR set the world ablaze with its last major release, Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, and its ambitions for Cyberpunk 2077 are exponentially higher.
Cyberpunk 2077 will release on November 19th, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.