Stop the Hate: Cyberpunk 2077’s Elevators Aren’t "Fake Loading Screens"—And the Devs Are Clapping Back
There’s a rumour about Cyberpunk 2077 that won’t die. You’ve probably thought it yourself while standing in one of Night City's elevators, watching the floor numbers tick up agonizingly slowly:
"This isn't real. It’s just a loading screen in disguise."
It’s not a crazy assumption. In the history of game development, hiding load times behind narrow corridors, long elevator rides, or slow climbing sections is practically an industry standard. It’s the oldest trick in the book. But this time, a core developer at CD Projekt Red has clearly had enough of the slander.
Igor Sarzynski, Creative Director for the upcoming Cyberpunk 2 and Cinematic Director for 2077, recently took to Bluesky to debunk this theory. And he didn't mince words.
"You really think we can stream the whole city, huge interiors, and seamless travel with zero loading screens, but we need a hidden elevator ride to load a penthouse?"
He has a point. It does sound ridiculous when you put it that way.
He doubled down with a defence of their tech that bordered on fierce pride: "The elevator is there because it makes logical sense. We could have made it transparent if we wanted. The engine is a miracle, and I won't tolerate this slander."
That is, effectively, a developer standing protectively in front of the Red Engine.
If you step back and look at the actual gameplay of 2077, you have to give the tech some credit. Glitches aside, the streaming capability is impressive. You have the neon-soaked sprawl of Night City, dense crowds, traffic AI, and complex quest triggers all running simultaneously. You can drive from the Badlands to the City Centre without hitting a hard stop.
So why are we so suspicious of the elevators?
Because we’ve been conditioned to be, from the infamous elevator conversations in Mass Effect to the countless "squeeze through this narrow crack" moments in God of War, AAA games have trained us to spot hidden loading zones. Whenever our movement is restricted, or we enter a transitional space, our gamer brain instantly says, 'Ah, okay, it’s dumping memory and loading the next level.'
In this specific case, however, Cyberpunk 2077 is the exception that got caught in the crossfire.
The game certainly has its flaws—nobody is likely to forget the launch state anytime soon. However, on the specific charge of "using elevators to hide loading," CDPR is pleading not guilty, and the evidence supports their claim.
Next time you step into that metal box in Night City, please take a look at it differently. It’s not buying time for the engine to catch up. It’s just... an elevator. Taking you up.
If Johnny Silverhand saw this debate, he’d probably scoff: "Loading screens? What year do you think this is, choom?"
The above content is compiled by ModeZone, a fashion and entertainment magazine.
