Can You Play Cyberpunk 2077 in Third Person?

The short but complicated answer – no, Cyberpunk 2077 does not natively support a full third person perspective at release, and it‘s unlikely to be added officially post-launch.

As an FPS-RPG, Cyberpunk 2077 was consciously designed from the ground up to be experienced primarily in first person view. Both the intricate level design and shooting-focused gameplay systems rely on the increased spatial awareness and accuracy that first person cameras enable.

However, a segment of fans still yearn for the immersed attachment to their customized avatar that third person offers in open world RPGs. This has fueled ongoing attempts by the modding community to hack together janky but playable third person mods – indicating some underlying demand despite the developer intent.

So let‘s dive deeper into CD Projekt Red‘s vision for perspective in Night City, how players and modders have responded after launch, and hopes that Cyberpunk‘s future may still go third person.

Developer Vision Prioritizes First Person Immersion

Interviews with Cyberpunk 2077‘s quest designer Philipp Weber and other developers reveal how first person view was a priority since initial conceptualization. The idea was for players to feel viscerally embedded in the vibrant, chaotic world of Night City down to intricate details like individually modeled eyeballs on citizens.

In Weber‘s own words:

"We’re handcrafting this thing from start to finish to be a first-person perspective game because [we] want you to fully immerse in that world."

This vision guided many gameplay systems and world building to feel natural experienced up close. Cyberware abilities manifest directly from your first person view. Wallace explains how the congested, verticalized city was designed enjoying the scenery walking around not just driving.

They even initially had third person cutscenes but found switching jarring – so they redid all animations and direction to suit first person:

“We’re making this game first-person because we want you to feel like you’re the character”

This coherent creative vision prioritizing immersion makes Cyberpunk 2077 stand out among open world RPGs dominated by third person options. And for what it‘s worth, reviews indicate it works – players feel astonishingly embedded trotting the lively streets packed with detailed locales.

But an outspoken portion of fans still wish to gaze upon their elaborately customized characters wielding katanas. Let‘s examine attempts to mod that third perspective back in.

Ambitious Mods Show Demand Despite Jankiness

Cyberpunk 2077 boasts one of the most extensive character creators ever seen. So naturally, some are disappointed we barely glimpse V outside rare reflections.

Fortunately, a plucky band of modders took up the challenge to hack in janky but playable third person mods to appreciative fans.

The creatively named Third Person Mode mod by Jelle Bakker was one of the earliest and most downloaded efforts with over 230k unique users. It uses an external camera tool to render V‘s model and cascades tweaks to scale/FOV for a decent over the shoulder look.

Other popular mods like Shoulder Surfing and Third Person Enhanced build on these foundations for further enhancements.

The mods garner overwhelmingly positive feedback but most admit flaws like clipping, awkward angles in tight spaces, and broken animations still occur ruining immersion:

This is an excellent mod for roleplaying and appreciating your character customizations, but the game world just isn‘t built for third person camera. You will get stuck on geometry at times. For best experience, I recommend toggling between first and third person frequently.

So while third person mods showcase desire to admire V, they also reinforce that Cyberpunk 2077‘s very foundation depends on first person – likely preventing native support.

Market Success Despite Restricted Perspective

Stepping back, could Cyberpunk 2077 still succeed commercially without third person options expected in open world RPGs?

Surprisingly data shows some of the most acclaimed RPGs restrict perspective with minimal impact to sales.

The Elder Scrolls series contains two of the best selling RPGs ever made in Skyrim and Oblivion – both first person only during core gameplay. Fan mods added third person, but Bethesda never officially patched it in.

More examples below:

While not definitive proof, it suggests restricting gameplay perspective itself is not necessarily an impediment if the worldbuilding and mechanics otherwise achieve high immersion. Fans might grumble but they still buy and play obsessively.

The Psychological Pull of Perspective

Still, it‘s reasonable to ask should such an impressively customizable open world RPG offer third person options even if the systems aren‘t optimized for it?

Research into how gaming perspective impacts player psychology offers intriguing insights.

Games scholar Kromand examines multiple studies demonstrating third person strengthens self-presence – the emotinal attachment and identification we feel with an in-game avatar when we observe them as a distinct entity moving through the game world.

In contrast, first person excels at spatial presence – the perception of physically existing within the virtual environment.

So in a game like Cyberpunk 2077 with incredible environmental detail but highly customizable avatar, restricting third person may reduce roleplaying attachment and motivation for cosmetic purchases.

It explains why adding third person options to established first person series elicits excitement; Longtime fans relish seeing their carefully constructed character payoff more visually.

While not proven, I wouldn‘t be surprised if analysis showed adding third person options increased average playtime and microtransaction revenue…

But balancing perspective options introduces its own complexities for world design and UI. We‘ll examine that next.

The Design Challenge of Multiple Perspectives

While appealing in concept, allowing both third and first person play poses substantial design considerations – likely preventing implementation in Cyberpunk 2077‘s last chaotic years of development.

The video essay "First Person vs Third Person – What‘s Better for Your Game?" by the YouTube channel Game Maker‘s Toolkit explains these tensions thoroughly.

Open world games must consider traversal and navigation from both near and far cameras. This demands extra caution ensuring players don‘t get lost or frustrated.

Weapons and gear might read visually compelling up close but clip awkwardly from a distance. Special effects that dazzle in first person could underwhelm externally.

These factors push developers to optimize and test for one core perspective rather than split resources. Cyberpunk 2077‘s FPS DNA skews its systems to shine best first person even if third person provides some storytelling benefits.

The compounding scope of adding an entirely new camera system this late explains its absence – not lack of desire.

What Does The Future Hold?

While native third person support remains an improbable post-launch patch, exciting rumors suggest Cyberpunk‘s franchise future may go third person in upcoming projects.

In an interview with Forbes, CD Projekt quest designer Patrick Mills shared Concepts for multiplayer functionality are still kicking around:

“We have worked on concepts but that’s as far as we got. So right now it’s all hands on deck for fixing Cyberpunk 2077”

More critically, Mills explains an indirect sequel following new characters remains a strong possibility after they complete fixing and restoring trust in Cyberpunk 2077:

“We think there‘s a really cool story we can tell in this world still and especially with how we end Cyberpunk 2077”

What better opportunity to build these new experiences embracing third person perspective than a sequel starring fresh characters?

Both fans and press speculate V‘s climactic transformation leaves room for successors set years later but in the same beloved Night City. I‘d love to see modder features officially embraced letting us admire our punk rock avatars in third person driving around flashy vehicles and wielding exotic gear.

That compelling vision will motivate the ongoing revival efforts – even if V‘s journey stays locked first person.

So for now, we‘ll have to rely on imperfect but innovative mods to appreciate Cyberpunk 2077 differently. And however you prefer to lose yourself stalking Night City‘s streets, keep faith exciting new adventures await in the next generation.

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