While the two games may seem completely unrelated, during a recent interview with [email protected] director Chris Charla, a connection was revealed between the appearance of Keanu Reeves promoting Cyberpunk 2077 at E3 2019 and Spiritfarer. Both games received critical acclaim in their genres, despite the fact that Cyberpunk 2077 initially suffered from glitches. Each in its own way is distinguished by a unique and impressive narrative and exploration of the world, albeit with the help of completely different mechanics.
Cyberpunk 2077 is an action—packed role-playing game that has undoubtedly been one of the most anticipated AAA games in the last few years, promising stellar graphics, a detailed dystopian open world and unique branching storylines. The hype around the game has always been huge, but after the presentation at E3 2019, it soared to new heights. During the Xbox conference, Keanu Reeves took to the stage with the announcement that he would convey his voice and likeness to an in-game character. Johnny Silverhands. His appearance cemented itself as one of the most iconic E3 moments in recent history, especially after a fan went viral calling Keanu Reeves breathtaking.
Spiritfarer differs from Cyberpunk 2077 in almost everything: from the graphic style to the plot and game mechanics. Players take on the role of Spiritfarer Stella, and are tasked with helping ferry souls to the afterlife. However, before she can do that, she must first take care of the spirits on board her ship, taking care of their needs and learning their stories. Spiritfarer weaves an incredibly emotional story that has earned well-deserved praise for its unique approach to the concept of death and would probably have achieved its recognized status today, regardless of when it was announced, however, it is possible that Keanu Reeves helped the game arouse the interest of players.
How Keanu Reeves’ Presentation from Cyberpunk 2077 Helped Spiritfarer
In a recent Screen Rant interview with [email protected] director Chris Charla, which discussed how the program helps independent developers publish their work, Charla talked about some of the most memorable moments when indie games were becoming popular, one of which occurred shortly after Keanu Reeves announced his character Cyberpunk 2077 at E3 2019, which can be seen in the video on Gamespot’s Youtube page. After one of the most anticipated games of the summer was covered, the next game had to have a strong opponent, and that game was Spiritfarer. Charla commented on this event and indie games that are increasingly appearing at events, stating:
My favorite moment at E3: “What game can follow Keanu Reeves? Spiritfarer». This is by far my favorite game transition on any game show. It’s not a question of “if”, it’s always a question of “what” — and I like this level of support for games from independent developers at Microsoft. I think it’s just a testament to how good the games are and how much the hard work of the independent developer community has paid off, that they are now an integral part of the mix of platforms on Xbox. And on any other platform too.
Although E3 was already a popular event for video game fans around the world in 2019, the anticipation of Cyberpunk 2077 undoubtedly led to more and more fans watching the live broadcast, especially after the rumor that Keanu Reeves took the stage spread like wildfire. In the same spirit, Xbox should have known that this particular Xbox conference would become one of their most popular events, which would later be viewed in clips on the internet. With players still reeling from the wave of endorphins caused by Keanu Reeves, Spiritfarer, which became the next game to hit the screen, was an incredibly bold choice by Microsoft, which made it clear: these games are on the same level. Looking back, it’s easy to see why the excellent Spiritfarer control simulator was presented at such a key moment of the Xbox presentation itself, but its placement at E3 also helped the title gain popularity and set the stage for it to become an incredibly popular indie hit today.
The appearance of Keanu Reeves, in particular, added a huge impact to the entire presentation, signaling that every other game announced that day deserves special attention, especially the game directly following Cyberpunk 2077. This transition marked that there was no more separation. between AAA titles and independent ones that were previously presented at separate presentations. In addition, the incredible number of additional viewers attracted by Reeves meant that much more attention was focused on the magnificent artistic style of Spiritfarer, inspired by Studio Ghibli, and the creative gameplay, which undoubtedly caused a lot of noise among fans of the Japanese animation studio, as well as fans of control simulators. .
