Cyberpunk 2077’s journey is over as CD Projekt Red has confirmed that after the 2.0 release and the Phantom Liberty DLC, there will be no more updates forCyberpunk 2077. In the immediate future, the studio’s focus is firmly onWitcher 4, which will likely be followed by theWitcher 1 Remake, which is already in development. After that, however, the stage is primed for aCyberpunk 2077sequel,Project Orion, which is already in development. While V will likely not return as the main character in the sequel, other residents of Night City will most definitely make reappearances. Among them, Skippy is a top contender.
InCyberpunk 2077, Skippy was an iconic Smart Gununlike anything else in the game. Instead of a basic AI to justify the “smart” tag, Skippy had a fully-voiced AI to facilitate its functions, one that had lost its memory due to an incident in the past. Thanks to its unique concept and coolness factor, it ended up being one of the most memorable items in the game, even though its use in actual combat wasn’t anything extraordinary. When CD Projekt Red circles back to theCyberpunkfranchise after wrapping up its other projects, it would be a shame if Skippy didn’t return as homage to the original.
What Made Skippy Special in Cyberpunk 2077
Skippy’s claim to fame wasn’t that it was especially strong—it was a decent weapon but nothing game-breaking—but that it was a gun with a personality. When V first finds Skippy on a dead body in a random alleyway in Night City, it offers him two options:use Skippy as a Stone-Cold Killer or Puppy-Loving Pacifist.
Depending on V’s choice, Skippy would either re-aim all bullets fired into limb shots (pacifist) or headshots (killer). After fifty kills, however, Skippy permanently reverses V’s decision, choosing the mode that wasn’t chosen as its default setting for the rest of the playthrough. Other than reloading a save and choosing the other option,there is no way to change Skippy’s modes.
Best of all,Skippy’s AI feels alive, periodically throws out comments on everything from V’s combat performance to the troubles with its programming, to lamenting its fate at being possessed by a high-functioning sociopath who puts no value on human life. Its fourth-wall-breaking self-aware sassy rants are what make Skippy special and why aCyberpunk 2077sequel would benefit from revisiting it, either as a direct continuation of the story or with a spiritual successor.
How Skippy’s Story Could Continue in the Project Orion
Canonically,Skippy’s personality is wiped from existence at the end of his quest when he is returned to Regina Jones, his original owner. While V is able to get the gun back from Regina later in the game, there is no Skippy inside the gun anymore; it’s simply a Smart Gun no different than other Smart Guns. Having said that, Skippy’s story should not be considered over; there are a ton of ways it could return in the sequel. The most obvious one is a direct continuation of the story. In Regina’s text message that offers V Skippy back, she mentions that the AI isn’t dead, it’s simply been returned to the “techie who created him.”
InProject Orion, perhaps this techie could return, bringing the original Skippy AI with him, housed in a new gun with updated functions and new interactions. Or, Skippy could even work as an individual personal assistant and sassy narrator, perhapsreplacing Johnny Silverhand as the vehicle for expositionwhen the story needs it.
Skippy-Inspired Weapons Could Also Take Center Stage
Another approach CD Projekt RED could take with Skippy is to create another weapon or item with the same concept—a self-aware AI free from Blackwall’s scrutiny. Perhaps it could be a gun with real AI, not just one simulated in the video game, but an actual language model that could react to players’ actions in real-time. The idea has been teased before, and if it would suit any setting, it would beCyberpunk. Fourth-wall-breaking rants delivered by a robotic voice originating from a weapon in a sci-fi game would be apropos on multiple levels. Take it one step further, and the developers could also allow players to give this AI commands in-game, earning the “smart” in Smart Gun.
A tad less exciting than the previous direction would be to reimagine Skippy as a tech weapon. A netrunner helper that would use the most situationally suitable hacks in real-time without needing player input. This would be perfect to realize theultimate netrunner power fantasy: blitzing past dozens of enemies and incapacitating them with a glance.
The reasonSkippy was such a memorable character who left a lasting impression in fans’ mindswas because of his personality. A new Skippy could have a different personality entirely. Instead of the sassy Skippy, players could get a pessimistic Skippy who always foresees the protagonist’s death before every combat encounter, a perpetually happy Skippy who kills with a smile, or even a naive Skippy who doesn’t understand what’s happening around him, putting the onus of exposition on the player instead. There are a million different directions theCyberpunk 2077sequel could go with Skippy. The important thing is that he’s there.
