Behind the Scenes of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty’s Launch Trailer

CD Projekt Red is so happy to be able to deliver. Phantom Liberty: Cyberpunk 2077 into the hands of players — and to celebrate its release, we prepared the Official Launch Trailer, packed with moody, spy-thriller vibes and featuring an exclusive new track from Polish chart-topper Dawid Podsiadło. Our top priority was to give the trailer an air of mystery and tension to reflect the thrilling story that players will experience. To achieve this, we took the time to sit down with our video crew and discuss the process they used to bring it to life. Haven’t seen it yet? Before you continue reading, watch the video to gain some special insights.

We joined two of our CD Projekt Red employees, Video Artist Adam Dudek and Senior Video Artist Rafał Bieńko, to learn more about how they approached this final trailer. Their titles might sound the same, but they have very different roles. “In classic film terms, it could best be described that Rafał is the director and I’m the director of photography,” Adam explained. “But at the same time it’s much more than that. Our roles also include editing, designing shots, shotspotting, technical in-engine magic, and figuring out how to capture everything in the best way possible, story- and quality-wise.”

A trailer’s creation involves similar stages to traditional filmmaking, from moodboards and creative ideas through to the actual shooting of footage and finalizing the cut. At the idea stage, it’s important to decide on a tone, something that will carry the project all the way through. “Sometimes that can be dictated by the voiceover, but it’s equally important to know what we want to achieve with the trailer,” Rafał said. “Do we want to tease the narrative of the game, explore a certain character, showcase a game feature, or highlight a stunning environment piece? When it comes to trailers every shot counts. What’s most important, however, is staying true to the game itself.”

And when it comes to the tone of the expansion versus the trailer, according to Rafał, “We like to think it matches perfectly. We played this expansion over and over since its development stages, and I think our awesome devs did such a great job in crafting a really beautiful, extremely engaging story full of twists and turns, a story that we fell in love with and basically sunk so much time into.”

Adam added, “Phantom LibertyIt has an extremely strong spy-like vibe, as it is inspired by classic noir films and stories. So in our work, we wanted to highlight that at much as possible through pacing, music, VOs, framing, composition and lighting — basically, everything we’ve got. Our games have such a wide variety of topics, which means we can always approach the trailer’s narrative from multiple angles. Our previous teasers and trailers set the scene of the story. Phantom Liberty, so this time around we wanted to make it more personal, more emotional.” And the best way to do that? “Dawid Podsiadło’s song was the obvious choice. It set up the tone we wanted instantly.”

Every good spy movie is a thriller. Phantom Liberty: Cyberpunk 2077 contains a closing track that plays over the credits — a melancholic, gripping tribute to the narrative that has just run its course. Dawid Podsiadło, who had previously recorded music for Cyberpunk: EdgerunnersThe choice of bringing the story to life was an obvious one. Together with CD Projekt Red’s Senior Composer P.T. Adamczyk and Music Director Marcin Przybyłowicz, the trio — alongside the Prague National Orchestra — created their own take on a classic spy song.

Rafał noted that “Dawid’s song absolutely had an impact on the shots and scenes we chose. It’s melancholic and emotional at heart with a strong and energetic current, one that steered us to make the choices we did in the type of shots chosen and overall pacing of the trailer. It’s a track that touches your heart and encapsulates the vibe of the game incredibly well.” Players will have to wait a little longer before listening to the full song — it’s set to release on September 29, so the Launch Trailer may be the best place to get a sense of what’s in store. If you’re not speeding through Dogtown to complete your secret mission.

Once the tone and song for the trailer is chosen, “we move to in-game scouting of particular moments and places from the game,” said Adam. “At this stage, we record clips, take screenshots, build storyboards, and gather references to create the first raw prototype. The edit is considered locked when we have the timing and the general idea of each shot — only then do we decide on the framing, lighting, and technical way we want to capture each one. After that, each shot is refined until the quality we want. This can also lead to Many people are interested in learning more about the other. iterations,” he said.

Every production process has its difficulties — and the hardest part of this one? “Not spoiling too much!” said Rafał. “There’s always an urge to show every amazing beat, and there are a lot of incredible scenes and moments to choose from in Phantom Liberty. But we’re very conscious about not spoiling important plot points or saving cool moments for gamers to discover themselves.” The good news is that players can rewatch the trailer as many times as they want without having to worry about spoiling any twists or turns waiting for them ahead!

Each video is an enormous challenge. It takes a lot of work to record and edit each shot so that it shines as brightly as possible. “Thankfully, we’ve been working together for some time now,” Adam said, “So we have a really good understanding of how to work together efficiently — and most importantly, how to have fun during the process!” That care and effort, and maybe even enjoyment, shines through every second. So kick back and give the Launch Trailer another watch, and then jump right into Dogtown — Phantom Liberty: Cyberpunk 2077Xbox Series X|S!

Phantom Liberty: Cyberpunk 2077

CD PROJEKT Red

☆☆☆☆☆
44

★★★★★

$29.99

About the Game

Phantom Liberty is the latest spy thriller adventure in Cyberpunk 2077. When the orbital shuttle of the President of the New United States of America is shot down over the deadliest district of Night City, there’s only one person who can save her — you. V is a cyberpunk hired by a company. He will help you unravel a web of political intrigue and espionage.

Dogtown is a small city within a larger one, run by a militia that has a tendency to use violence and a dictator who rules with an iron hand. Solomon Reed’s (Idris Eba) sleeper NUSA agent and Johnny Silverhand’s (Keanu REEVES) help unravel the broken webs of loyalties. Use your best skills to stay alive in the fractured world of desperate hustlers and shadowy netrunners. Built with the power of next-gen hardware in mind, Phantom Liberty offers brand-new gameplay mechanics, nail-biting courier jobs, gigs, and missions — and a thrilling main quest where freedom and loyalty always come at a price.

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