Never Fade Away: A Documentary or a Marketing Tool for Cyberpunk 2077?

The documentary 'Never Fade Away – La Sfida di Cyberpunk 2077' is a co-production between the Italian indie cinema crew Nebraska, the Twitch channel RoundTwo (founded by Francesco Fossetti and Marco Mottura), and CD Projekt Red itself. Despite being presented as a documentary, it functions as a promotional piece for the game's expansion, 'Phantom Liberty'. The documentary features a tour of the company and four authorized interviews, but it omits critical issues such as the 'crunch culture' at CD Projekt Red, where employees reportedly worked up to 100 hours per week during the final stages of development. The film is part of a relaunch campaign for Cyberpunk 2077, which launched in December 2020 with severe technical issues and was even temporarily removed from the PlayStation 4 store. The expansion and a major update will not be available on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. The documentary exemplifies how the gaming industry uses journalistic formats for promotional purposes, controlling the narrative while avoiding scrutiny of labor practices.