Cyberpunk 2077‘s initial release date was set for 16 April, but it has now been delayed to a much later 17 September 2020.
However, in the latest gameplay demonstration, CD Projekt Red shared a ton of new details about Cyberpunk 2077, revealing a rundown district of Night City, called 'Pacifica'.
Pacifica has been overrun by two rival gangs, and thanks to the creator of the series, Mike Pondsmith, we learned a bit more about these warring factions.
Continue reading for all the information we have on the Voodoo Boys and the Animals.
All confirmed gangs
- 6th Street
- Animals
- Lizzies
- Maelstrom
- Mox
- Scavenger
- Steel Dragons
- Tyger's Claw
- Valentino's
- Voodoo Boys
- Wraiths
The Voodoo Boys
One of the gangs that inhabit the district is the Voodoo Boys; a group mainly made up of Haitians who arrived in Night City after Haiti got flooded.
When Mike Pondsmith created the Voodoo Boys many, many years ago, he was looking at an idea that we would now call 'cultural appropriation' – what happens when people come in and try to adopt a culture that they know little or nothing about.
Pondsmith explains:
“The Voodoo Boys in 2077 are really Voodoo Boys. They inherited the name, but it was sort of a natural fit; they were coming from Haiti and the Dominican Republic.”
They managed to take a lot of the elements of their original culture and meld them into the world of 2077, bringing new elements of Cyberpunk into an old and respected culture.
They are therefore more of a cultural phenomenon than a gang.
The Animals
On the other side of the spectrum are the Animals, who are driven by their desire for strength and pain.
“They’re in it to basically build themselves up and become the tigers of their particular urban jungle. They want to be big, they want to be bad, and they want you to fear them just because they exist.” Pondsmith explained.
But the Animals ethos is very simple.
Their mantra: "Get big, lift, get strong, lift" places them on the other end of the spectrum from the Voodoo Boys, who are more of a cultural organisation than a gang of gym rats.
In Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll get a chance to see the differences between the gangs for yourselves, but you'll have to wait until September to get a proper look.