Cyberpunk: The New Renaissance

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Cyberpunk originated in the 1960s and 1970s, heavily influenced by authors like Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, and Bruce Sterling. We recognize it for its dystopian settings, advanced technology, and societal decay. Common themes include artificial intelligence, virtual reality, cybernetic enhancements, corporate control, and transhumanism (the evolution of our species through the blending of human and machine). 

The genre often critiques social inequality, corporate power, and the consequences of unchecked technological progress. Like many themes, cyberpunk was born from fear, and cyberpunk clearly reflects the fears of its time. 

Historical Popularity

The genre gained mainstream appeal in the late 1980s and early 1990s through works like Blade Runner (1982) and Gibson’s Neuromancer (1984). This popularity surged again in the late 1990s and early 2000s with films like The Matrix and novels like Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash. However, interest once again waned, and some theorize that the general dark, gloomy feel of cyberpunk is to blame.

Modern Resurgence

Cyberpunk has seen a revival in recent years due to advancements in technology and its integration into everyday life. The release of Cyberpunk 2077 reignited interest in the genre within gaming, while its aesthetics have permeated fashion (techwear stands as a perfect example), music, and art. Streaming platforms have also embraced cyberpunk themes in shows and films.

Cultural Impact

Cyberpunk has shaped media across multiple forms:

  • Film: Movies like Blade Runner defined its visual style with neon-lit urban landscapes.
  • Gaming: Titles such as Deus Ex and Cyberpunk 2077 immerse players in dystopian worlds.
  • Fashion:  Often combining streetwear and science fiction elements, techwear reflects cyberpunk’s functional yet edgy aesthetic.
  • Music: Bands like Kraftwerk incorporated electronic sounds inspired by cyberpunk themes.

Expanding Mainstream Popularity

For cyberpunk to gain more mainstream popularity, several key developments would likely need to occur:

1. Cross-Media Expansion

  • Successful adaptations across various media platforms, such as anime (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners), games (Cyberpunk 2077), and potentially live-action films or TV series, have already shown their potential to draw wider audiences. 

Expanding into other formats like virtual reality experiences or interactive storytelling could further enhance its appeal. I believe the intrinsically technical nature of cyberpunk lends itself perfectly to the exploration of innovative media.

2. High-Quality Content

  • Consistently delivering high-quality works with compelling narratives and visuals is essential. For instance, the success of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and the improved reception of Cyberpunk 2077 after updates demonstrate how quality improvements can reignite interest.

3. Broader Themes and Representation

  • Incorporating diversity for the sake of creative exploration and inclusion. Notice I used the word ‘incorporating’, not ‘saturating’. I take the term ‘inclusion’ at face value, and I look at it as a welcoming of diverse peoples and ideas, not a call to cram in stereotypes and copy-paste ‘struggle’ stories that have been done to death.

I know this is a point of heavy contention in the world right now, but cyberpunk (all sci-fi, really) has a responsibility to acknowledge it. If you’re creating a vision of the future, you have to draw some conclusions on how these deeply important cultural issues have played out. Ignoring them at this point is simply bad writing.

4. Integration with Current Trends

  • Relevance leads to awareness and discussion. By aligning with current technological topics, such as artificial intelligence, biohacking, and surveillance, the genre’s themes become more relevant and engaging for modern audiences.

5. Accessible Entry Points

  • Creating accessible entry points for newcomers through visually striking media (e.g., movies, games, and audio) rather than relying solely on novels or complex lore could attract a broader audience.

6. Cultural Shifts

  • As societal concerns about technology’s impact grow, cyberpunk’s dystopian critiques of corporate control and inequality may resonate more deeply with mainstream audiences.

Breaking Away from 2077

To help the cyberpunk genre expand without being dominated by the Cyberpunk 2077 intellectual property (IP), you can take several steps to diversify its storytelling, aesthetics, and audience engagement:

1. Explore New Themes and Settings

  • Move beyond the traditional neon-lit megacities and corporate dystopias. Incorporate fresh settings such as rural landscapes, underwater cities, or space colonies while maintaining cyberpunk’s core themes of technology and societal tension. For example, “aquapunk” and “enviropunk” subgenres have shown potential for innovation.
  • Shift focus from large-scale corporate battles to smaller, personal stories about marginalized individuals navigating a tech-saturated world. (They really should be marginalized, otherwise it’s not ‘punk’.)

2. Emphasize Diverse Perspectives

  • Feature characters and narratives from underrepresented cultures and regions. Cyberpunk’s themes of inequality and rebellion resonate globally, so exploring how different societies interact with advanced technology could introduce fresh perspectives. (Not everything has to take place in ‘Neo LA’ with Westernized characters fighting an evil Japanese corporation.)  
  • Highlight stories that center on nontraditional protagonists, such as hackers in indigenous communities or bioengineers in developing nations.
  • These are not ‘diversity initiatives’. This kind of advice drives good storytelling! Exploring different cultures, perspectives, and struggles is what fiction is for. Please, do not fall prey to the culture war and draw a line in the sand on this one. I believe if we put good stories first, the answers present themselves. It’s the heavy-handed wielding of ideological hammers that turns everything into a fight.

3. Innovate with Post-Cyberpunk and Genre Hybrids

  • Experiment with post-cyberpunk narratives that offer more optimistic or nuanced views of technology’s role in society. Works like The Peripheral — and my own Hope Cyberpunk Universe — have successfully evolved the genre by blending cyberpunk elements with broader sci-fi themes.
  • Combine cyberpunk with other genres like fantasy, horror, or historical fiction to create hybrid stories that appeal to wider audiences.

4. Foster Independent Creations

  • Support indie creators in literature, gaming, and film who are exploring cyberpunk themes outside major IPs. Platforms like Kickstarter or Patreon can help fund unique projects that don’t rely on established franchises.
  • Encourage self-published works or small-budget films that experiment with cyberpunk aesthetics and narratives.

5. Leverage Other Media

  • You don’t reach wider audiences by releasing more books. Diversification is the key to going wide. We must introduce more people to cyberpunk through varied formats like board games, graphic novels, podcasts, or interactive VR experiences to reach new audiences.
  • Anthology series like Black Mirror and Arcane Fiction’s CyberTales demonstrate how episodic storytelling can explore diverse cyberpunk themes without being tied to a single IP.

6. Engage with Contemporary Issues

  • Align cyberpunk narratives with real-world concerns such as artificial intelligence ethics, climate change, surveillance capitalism, or biohacking. This makes the genre more relevant and relatable to modern audiences.
  • Use cyberpunk as a lens to critique current technological trends while imagining their potential futures.

 

 

New properties should differentiate themselves from the Cyberpunk 2077 IP while still embracing cyberpunk’s core themes. Here are some strategies and alternatives to consider:

1. Adopt Existing Subgenre Labels

  • Use established cyberpunk derivatives to position new works in a unique niche. Examples include:
    • Biopunk: Focuses on biotechnology and genetic engineering (e.g., Gattaca, Splice).
    • Post-Cyberpunk: Offers a more optimistic or nuanced view of technology (e.g., The Peripheral).
    • Solarpunk: Imagines sustainable futures with advanced green technology.
    • Raypunk: Explores retro-futuristic aesthetics and surreal, cosmic themes1.
  • This raises the concern of “is it still cyberpunk?” And that has me asking the question: “Do I care if my works are labelled as cyberpunk?” Coming up with my own genre label could be the only way to sufficiently address the challenges in this article — namely the associations and baggage that comes along with “cyberpunk”. 

2. Focus on Unique Themes

I knew going into this that I would need to explore aspects of the cyberpunk genre that are less touched upon. So far, I’ve tried to do this while still keeping my works familiar enough to slake the desires of cyberpunk fans. 

Some examples of ripe fields and how I’ve looked at them:

  • Cultural diversity: Changing the geopolitical nature of my world such that it’s not about American corporations versus Japanese corporations. I’ve also made the wealth and innovation of the Middle East a heavy influence on culture in the 2100s.
  • Diverse viewpoints: I don’t just mean race or gender here. It’s important to explore different ideologies. In other words, let’s not just focus on street gangs. In my stories (either published or in the works) I explore characters who are corpos, monks, law enforcement, and even chefs. 
  • Smaller-scale, character-driven stories rather than sprawling dystopian epics. See above. Not everything in cyberpunk has to be about a gang fighting a corporation.
  • Contemporary issues like AI ethics, digital surveillance, or virtual economies should be brought in. Speak to the audience in terms they understand…about technology they already fear.

3. Emphasize Visual and Narrative Distinction

  • Move away from the stereotypical neon-lit megacities by exploring different visual styles or settings. I haven’t done this to a huge degree, because one of the things I love about the cyberpunk aesthetic are the giant, neon-lit megacities. So much so that I’ve set most of my stories (thus far) in one of the largest megacities I could logically explain. How Hope Megacity came about, however, is entirely unique to my works.
  • Use distinct narrative tones—optimism, surrealism, or satire—to stand apart from the darker tone of Cyberpunk 2077 and most other cyberpunk works. This is another one that I haven’t pursued aggressively. Jack, my first MC in this universe, is sarcastic. I also parody modern-day society from time to time (especially our marketing, since I have a background in advertising) but the overall theme of my universe thus far is rather gritty. 

4. Leverage Other Media

  • Promote cyberpunk aesthetics and storytelling through diverse formats like graphic novels, indie games, VR experiences, or experimental films. This avoids direct competition with large-scale AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077.

Don’t get me wrong. I really want to make a Hope Cyberpunk Universe game. I’ve got design docs written down for every possible iteration, from a 4X strategy game to a looter-shooter. But I wouldn’t want to go toe-to-toe with CD Projekt Red at this point.

What’s more likely? I’m leaning toward a board game that plays something like a lightweight tabletop RPG.

In Summary

Imagine a world where all science fiction is Star Wars, or all fantasy is Lord of the Rings. Essentially, we’ve lived through gradients of that — not for lack of competing ideas, but simply due to popularity and public awareness.

Cyberpunk 2077 is certainly serving as an entry point to a wider audience — a gateway into the genre — but it seems deeply entrenched with the masses as defining cyberpunk. As I’ve said, one of the challenges I’ve been forced to overcome is explaining to potential readers that while my book is cyberpunk, it’s not Cyberpunk 2077 fan fiction. 

The fact that this concept not only needs explaining but is difficult for so many to grasp is a problem. Or is it?

I spend a lot of time studying the sentiment of audiences concerning various media. Quite a few people have mixed feelings about Cyberpunk 2077. So, what if someone likes the game, but doesn’t love the story, then finds their way into the Hope Cyberpunk universe?

Then everyone wins. 😁

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