Before the entire internet comes crashing through my door, please understand that as far as Keanu Reeves goes, you’d be hard pressed to find a bigger fan than myself. That goes for Cyberpunk 2077 as well. I was at the Microsoft theater when Keanu emerged from the fog to thunderous applause. And I was there when CD Projekt Red showed us a thirty minute gameplay trailer on the floor of E3. Both were truly “breathtaking”. However, Keanu’s involvement in Cyberpunk should not simply be taken at face value. It’s too easy to get caught up in the hype and forget what this means for both the short and the long term for triple A game developers. After several weeks of deep contemplation, I’ve come to several troubling conclusions. Firstly, with the success of Cyberpunks big Keanu reveal, we can be sure to expect A list celebrity appearances in most triple A titles from now on. The question isn’t what do we gain from this (which is obvious). The real question should be what do we lose. It’s hard to imagine how expensive an actor like Keanu Reeves would be, let alone the technology to accurately depict him in a video game. Everyone loves Keanu Reeves. I get that. But what about the next big title you’re looking forward to? What happens when game developers begin throwing money at actors you couldn’t care less about? The same money that could and should be going towards the development of the game. We can argue that the sales generated by incorporating a man like Keanu is a relatively safe bet, and should more than make up the cost of his acquisition. But for how long does that remain true? How many actors, if any, would you prefer in your game as opposed to more content, more depth and more love? The Witcher 3, by the same developer as Cyberpunk reportedly cost $81 million to make. With the assumption that Cyberpunk would cost a similar amount, how many millions would be directed towards such a prominent figure as Reeves? Money that could be spent making another game of the year. I’m fully aware that Keanu’s involvement will most likely be beneficial to Cyberpunk, as opposed to a detriment. But the slope of cost versus benefit in video game development is quite slippery indeed. The trend has already started ladies and gentlemen. Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, and Lea Seydoux in Kojima’s ‘Death Stranding’. Kevin Spacey a few years back in Call of Duty (that doesn’t age well either). The lovable Jodie Holmess acting in BEYOND: Two Souls and lastly Jon Bernthal in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint. The merger between Hollywood and the video game industry is in full effect. Let’s hope the cliche of saving a terrible screen play by hiring a famous actor fails to carry over. With that I bring you to my second argument. What is the reason for bringing on such an iconic star as Keanu Reeves? If Cyberpunk 2077 is expected to meet the expectations of the gaming world, why is it necessary to spend a significant amount of money on acquiring Keanu? Miles Tost, a senior level designer at CD Projekt Red, said in an interview with Destructoid that “It was either him or no one. That was our mindset. We didn’t think ‘We need a star for this role,’ but rather ‘Hey, he might be the perfect character’ and luckily I guess it all worked out for us.” That might be true, however if Cyberpunk was already going to blow everything out of the water, I can’t understand why it was necessary to go down the much more difficult road to pixelate and pay for Keanu. We’ve seen this trend time and time before. A game or movie that knows it might struggle upon release, either tags a celebrity, or spends a fortune on advertising, hoping it will make up for the difference. That being said, all signs point towards Cyberpunk being a masterpiece. The game seems dynamic, well thought out and massive in scope. Unfortunately, too often the most hyped games are the ones that fail spectacularly. Cyberpunk will hopefully be safe, but can the same be said for the trend that it will create? We will see.