CD PROJEKT RED dropped tons of updates on their much-anticipated action-adventure game Cyberpunk 2077. One of which was a featurette about how they brought the legendary rock band SAMURAI into the game.
The developer, known for their successful open world game series The Witcher, shared aspects of the game in the second episode of their cyberpunk updates called Night City Wire.
They showcased three videos last August 10, two of which were game-related. One of which was "Refused: Becoming SAMURAI," a featurette on how the developers created legendary punk band in the game.
The name of the in-game band is SAMURAI and the Polish developer worked with Swedish hardcore punk band Refused. Suffice it to say it was an offer they could not refuse.
The Refused is composed of frontman Dennis Lyxzen, guitarist Kristofer Steen, bassist Magnus Flagge, and drummer David Sandstrom. The trio were tasked to breathe life into SAMURAI, the legendary chrome rock band prominent in the game (and the pen & paper RPG that the game was based from.)
In the Cyperpunk series, the band used music to rebel and fight the oppressive system. This is not so far from the truth because Refused is also known for their non-conformist lyrics.
To effectively write for the in-game band, the Swedish band shared how they have to get into the mindset of another person. They found it interesting because they would normally not write lyrics from another individual's perspective. It was exciting for them to write about agenda based on characters other than themselves.
Someone from CD Projekt Red knew Refused and believed they would be a perfect fit for Samurai.
They were interested in having Lyxzen in particular to voice Johnny Silverhand, lead singer of Samurai and prominent character in the series. Lyxzen will only provide the singing voice for Silverhand. It is also interesting to note that Silverhand is modeled and voiced by, none other than, Keanu Reeves.
The band shared that they went "all in" when creating music as Samurai and they try to make them as good as possible. They also acknowledge that Samurai songs are not "their" song and find it "interesting as a musician to play as another musician."
Lyxzen also shared that he is not a gamer and is not aware of the "impact that it might have." He has no idea how gamers are actually passionate about the music in their games. To be in a huge project such as Cyberpunk 2077, he is humble to admit that "if people like these songs, and if people are excited then that's gotta be great."
Aside from the challenges they faced when trying to make music for another band, learn more about the music creating process by watching the video below:
Uploaded in the Cyberpunk 2077 is a sample of how Samurai sounds like in their song called "A Like Supreme."
CD Projekt Red also uploaded two videos that focused more on gameplay. "Lifepaths" revolves around backstories of different characters that the players can choose from. "Tools of Destruction" focuses more on the available weapons and cyberware.
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