CD Projekt RED has recently released a statement to apologize for anti-Russian elements in the Cyberpunk 2077 Ukrainian version.
The Ukrainian version of Cyberpunk 2077 was released together with the major update 2.0 before the launch of Phantom Liberty on September 26, 2023. While it had the biggest changes to the game, for some reason it had some anti-Russian elements which were considered racist and offensive.
It was revealed that the Ukrainian localization included a handful of references to the Russo-Ukrainian War including terms that are considered derogatory like “Rusnia” replacing the word “assholes” in one instance. In response, CDPR has now released a statement revealing that these “offensive” elements were not written by its staff and do not reflect its views.
“The release version of Ukrainian localization of Cyberpunk 2077 features elements of dialogues that can be considered offensive by Russian gamers,” CDPR posted on Russian social media platforms and later to IGN in English. “These lines have not been written by CD Projekt Red staff and do not represent our views. We are working to produce correct lines and substitute them in the next update.”
Localization Project Manager Mariia Strilchuk posted a follow-up on Twitter, which was translated by CDPR to IGN in English. “I’d like to clarify regarding the corrections to the Ukrainian localization. They refer to the lines where the translation lost its original meaning, including certain references to the Russian-Ukrainian war. Our support to Ukraine remains unchanged, but we prefer to show it through positive actions.”
The Ukrainian version of Cyberpunk 2077 was localized by SBT Localisation, a Ukrainian company that has worked on other popular titles like Darkest Dungeon and Baldur’s Gate 3.
CDPR is unclear on exactly which elements will be removed from the Ukrainian version of Cyberpunk 2077, but it will not be introduced until the next update is released.