Update: 2:54 PM EST.Â
CD Projekt Red has provided us with an official comment on Liana Ruppert’s comment and the inclusion of visible epilepsy warnings. CD Projekt Red is “working to introduce a separate warning splash screen in the game, so it’s more than the warning in our EULA.” The company also acknowledged that many gamers skip EULAs and that it “tried to get ahead of this by having a more digestible version of the document” whichcan be found here. It’s worth noting that finding this document requires going to the bottom ofCyberpunk 2077’s siteand clicking on User Agreement.
The developer also wants to avoid any other players having the same experience as Ruppert going forward. To that end,ÂCyberpunk 2077’s development team is exploring a more permanent solution and “will deploy it as soon as we can.” That being said, getting updates through on consoles takes much longer than it does on PC. For PlayStation titles, a patch takes at least five days to pass through certification. That process is even longer on Xbox. WithÂCyberpunk 2077Âshipping in just two days, it doesn’t seem like a fix will be available when players get their hands on the game.
Epilepsy warnings are commonplace for video games. Game developers want people to have fun with their games, not get hurt playing them. However,ÂCyberpunk 2077, which already has a segment that can cause epileptic seizures, does not feature a blatant warning. At least, that is the case in the PC review copies sent to gaming outlets so far.
Yesterday, Liana Ruppert, an associate editor at Game Informer,published an articleregarding aseizure she experiencedwhile playingCyberpunk 2077. In the article, she warns other players thatCyberpunk 2077has a specific scene that can easily trigger a seizure. When asked if the game had provided any seizure warnings, Ruppert said that she had likely skipped over them. However, Sam Machkovech, the tech culture editor at Ars Technica confirmed that the copies ofCyberpunk 2077Âsent out for review did not provide a seizure warning in its title cards. Instead, the game’s sole warning isin its lengthy EULA, that long list of legalese that you probably skip over when launching a new game. The chances of players seeing this warning without deliberately looking for it are slim to none.
The issue has sparked a new controversy surrounding CD Projekt Red’s latest title. Calls to add a proper warning to the game or add options that could remove seizure-causing scenes are coming from more than just Twitter users. In response to the Game Informer article, a UK based epilepsy charity,Epilepsy Action, has asked CD Projekt Red to updateCyberpunk 2077Âimmediately.
“We are alarmed and saddened that a game reviewer had a seizure triggered byÂCyberpunk 2077, before it was even launched,” said Epilepsy Action director of external affairs Louise Cousins. “The game features rapidly blinking lights and other animations that could cause seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy.” Cousins' statement ends with a firm recommendation that CD Projekt Red updates the game to make it safer, saying “A disclaimer warning at the beginning isn’t enough.”
DualShockers has reached out to CD Projekt Red for a comment.
Cyberpunk 2077Âis set to launch on December 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X.
