Mike Pondsmith on Cyberpunk’s journey from paper to prominence
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If there’s one lesson Mike Pondsmith can teach, it’s that creators need to bring authenticity to everything. The Cyberpunk creator and Incredible Dream’s Jane Chung Hoffacker sat down to talk Cyberpunk and more at the GamesBeat Summit.
Pondsmith is, in a word, prolific. Though people these days know Cyberpunk through Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, it’s got deep roots in the pen and paper scene. Pondsmith has been creating in that space for over four decades; starting with 1984’s Mekton and running all the way to 2020’s Cyberpunk Red.
He stays relevant pretty simply. Pondsmith plans everything out and does loads of research upfront. He figures out how players are going to both want and need to interact with his creations. Most importantly, he makes sure his creations have an internal logical consistency.
“You have to ask yourself, ‘What are people doing, not just in the city but how do they use the city?’ What elements are going to be important to them,” Pondsmith explained. “When I first built Night City, I particularly aimed to make it non-functional. It. Should. Not. Work. Because it was a broken city.”
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It adds that touch of authenticity to the end product. On a personal note, it’s one of the big reasons I’ve played Cyberpunk 2077 all the way through at least half a dozen times since launch. Despite the fantastic elements, the cyberware, the over-the-top-ness … it feels authentic.
“Night City is one of the
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