Some Cyberpunk 2077 players believed Elon Musk had an in-game cameo, but a developer outright debunked the rumor.
Cyberpunk 2077 features a few celebrity cameos, all of whom act as NPCs that players can spot while exploring Night City.
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima represents one such special appearance. Players can also find Grimes at the No-Tell Motel. Speaking of Grimes, it seems a contingent of fans were convinced that her ex Elon Musk also appeared in the RPG.
During the Corpo intro, an NPC enters the restroom, glances V’s way, then heads to a stall. YouTuber Kazuliski captured the moment in an August 2021 video and used a trick to force the stall’s door open. In it, they got a close-up of the NPC who some users think resembles Elon Musk.
Cyberpunk 2077 developer debunks Elon Musk rumors
CD Projekt Red just deployed Cyberpunk 2077’s 2.0 update, which encourages players to start another playthrough. It’s sparked something else, too. One person who revisited the Corpo intro sequence took note of the unnamed restroom NPC, though the character apparently looks like Musk no longer.
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Twitter user Virus_Kid shared pre- and post-patch side-by-side screenshots of the moment in question. The comment accompanying the post reads: “Oh my god, they removed the Elon Musk cameo from the Corpo opening in Cyberpunk 2077.”
CDPR developer Patrick K. Mills seemed surprised to learn that such a theory had even made the rounds. “That wasn’t Elon Musk, it looks nothing like him. Who came up with this nonsense?” he wrote.
That wasn't Elon musk, it looks nothing like himWho came up with this nonsense? https://t.co/usPO94IFhD
— Patrick K. Mills (@PKernaghan) September 22, 2023
Oddly enough, this isn’t the only time Elon Musk’s name has popped up in conjunction with Cyberpunk 2077 in recent days. In Walter Isaacson’s new biography about Musk, the biographer claims the business magnate crashed Grimes’ Cyberpunk recording and demanded he, too, receive a cameo.
This story only amplified the belief that CD Projekt Red modeled the restroom NPC after Musk; however, a developer insists that isn’t the case.