Cyberpunk 2077 To Become Epilepsy-Safe

Flashing light, bright colors, and an overindulgent fan-base that has defended a game as nothing but perfect even though most of them haven’t played it. The literal hype surrounding Cyberpunk 2077‘s release, is that of a blockbuster Grand Theft Auto. So much so that it is eponymously known as Cyberpunk because it is now considered the only embodiment of the broader genre. Yes, I can hear large replica swords being sharpened next to collector editions; my point is, nothing is as perfect as hype will make you believe it is.

If you’ve sat around the reviews the last few days you’ve learned two things: Don’t read the comments, they are full of bile and hatred because of someone’s sex. Additionally, you’ll have found that, Cyberpunk 2077 may be a little buggy at launch. That’s not a bad thing, plenty of games release with bugs, but I think most would agree missing accessibility options might be a little more serious. Spring into a fit of uproar, the same fan-base calling a game they haven’t played yet perfect wasn’t entirely happy to find Liana Ruppert’s article warning players of possible epilepsy triggers.

It is common for every piece of entertainment of the modern-day to feature some kind of blanket warning, and Cyberpunk 2077 does have that. However, the neon-drenched futurism may be particularly harmful to those with any kind of epilepsy. Ruppert notes in her article on the effects the game can have for those that suffer epileptic seizures; she had one major incident with further concerns for more as time went on. We are forever talking about the accessibility of games, with some taking great leaps ahead with their releases this year. However, one thing Cyberpunk 2077 does not currently feature ahead of the release tomorrow is an epilepsy safe mode, as it were.

Thank you for bringing this up. We’re working on adding a separate warning in the game, aside from the one that exists in the EULA (https://t.co/eXpPn73VSK). Regarding a more permanent solution, Dev team is currently exploring that and will be implementing it as soon as possible. https://t.co/lXFypnSit2

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) December 8, 2020

Since the release of Ruppert’s article, the studio behind the game (CD Projekt Red) has issued a statement via Twitter. The studio says they will be adding a further warning beyond that which those of us who do not suffer from seizures will likely skip by as we load the game. The studio is also working on getting a more permanent solution for the serious problem they find themselves in.

Some may blithely shrug it off, “Damn those [developers] for making a game that has lights in it[.]” as one comment sardonically replies, though the issue is greater than that. It is a matter of accessibility, and at the forefront of the issue this is a massive oversight. Shipping the game, one you know is filled with all the neon and flashy lights, without any solution to the problem that is widely known. I don’t believe the number one epileptic holiday destination is the Las Vegas strip, and that’s just using common sense. This is a colossal oversight on easily one of the largest games of the year. Something like this shouldn’t be happening.