Cyberpunk series creator Mike Pondsmith is "driven insane by shipping," and I can't imagine Keanu Reeves being in Cyberpunk 2077 helped that at all

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Cyberpunk series creator Mike Pondsmith is "driven insane by shipping," and I can't imagine Keanu Reeves being in Cyberpunk 2077 helped that at all News By Anthony McGlynn published 10 December 2025

"Were you on crack? How did you think that was going to happen?"

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(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

You can't stop shipping, nor can you ever truly predict who fans will pair together. As the creator of the source material for Cyberpunk 2077 and a longtime tabletop RPG maker, Mike Pondsmith understands these things more than most, and though he loves the passion, it’s not his favorite aspect of fandom.

During a talk at Digital Dragons 2025, he dipped into the subject in a section dedicated to fans becoming part of the fabric of a franchise. "I am driven insane by shipping," he says. "In almost any case, there are people who want to see a good romance, and if you don't provide one, they're going to invent one, and it's going to be a weird one too."

Even if once is provided, fans will likely glom onto another connection that strikes a different kind of chord for them - and yes, it's usually more leftfield than whatever's explicitly happening. "Oh God, I have been appalled sometimes at the ships I see," he comments. "Were you on crack? How did you think that was going to happen?"

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He adds that shippers will be present "whether you want them there or not," and it really just comes down to how you handle and encourage the community. One need only consult stats from Archive of Our Own, a popular fan-fiction blogsite, to see how shipping keeps a property going.

For instance, the perennial top ship on there is Dean Winchester and Castiel in Supernatural, which is just your run-of-the-mill queer friends-to-lovers arc that the show never fully gave us. Shipping often gives voice to fans who wish a property would have more LGBTQIA+ representation.

But the 20th most popular ship? Dean and Sam Winchesters. Brothers. Ick. Ick ick ick. Please see Pondsmith's reaction above.

The biggest video game ships are Jayce and Viktor followed by Caitlyn and Vi, both from League of Legends. Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't register in any of the rankings since it launched in 2020, but Keanu Reeves being involved must have spawned all sorts of strange and creative ships. Clearly, players need to be more dedicated, even if it may distress Pondsmith.

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Cyberpunk series creator Mike Pondsmith says he's watching Cyberpunk 2 closely at CDPR, just like he did with 2077: "People have been showing me what they're doing."

TOPICS CD Projekt Red CATEGORIES PC Gaming PS4 PS5 Xbox One Xbox Series X Platforms PlayStation Xbox Anthony McGlynnSocial Links NavigationContributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

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Logout Read more Cyberpunk series creator Mike Pondsmith says he's watching Cyberpunk 2 closely at CDPR, just like he did with 2077: "People have been showing me what they're doing"    Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director isn't weighing in on the OG JRPG's infamous Tifa vs Aerith shipping debate, but after 10 years of looking at Cloud, "I just want what makes him happy"    Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith got to play Cyberpunk 2077 before the RPG's infamous launch, only to see his V randomly T-pose pantsless: "We're fixing that, right?"    Aerith does not want to see your fanfic – Final Fantasy 7 Remake actor reminds fans "the meaning of the word inappropriate," asks them to stop tagging her in "smut"    Baldur's Gate 2 writer was unconvinced anyone would care about romance in an RPG: "People don't come here to romance, they come here to fight s**t and battle dragons"    5 years after Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red reveals why Night City as the "main antagonist" created an irresistible RPG    Latest in Action RPGs Elden Ring Nightreign Dreglord weakness and boss fight guide    Lords of the Fallen boss says the viral Game Awards teaser isn't pointing to the Soulslike RPG's sequel, but "devs are praying" it's something from FromSoftware    Elden Ring Nightreign Scholar Remembrance quest walkthrough    Nightreign Balancers' weakness and strategy guide    Undertaker Remembrance quest walkthrough for Nightreign    Path of Exile 2 director doesn't think his action RPG will leave early access in March 2026 after all, and while "I certainly wouldn't want to slip into 2027," he doesn't want to "promise anything"    Latest in News AAA lets indie games take big risks, says Edmund McMillen, then "the mainstream grabs what worked" and "cashes in"    Publisher says Valve rejected complaint about hateful Steam review: "'Has Muslims, not recommended' is literal racism"    A gag in Skyrim's Switch 2 trailer sends The Elder Scrolls 6 hopefuls into copium fits    Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead is apparently working on a roguelite mode that fundamentally "changes the game"    Hugh Jackman says Deadpool and Wolverine "doesn't feel like the end" for his time in the MCU: "I changed my mind"    Fallout: New Vegas lead writer says it's "very odd" to see characters he created in Amazon's TV show with "no credit"    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

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