Cyberpunk series creator Mike Pondsmith “driven insane by shipping”

Mike Pondsmith – Looking at a Franchise From The Other Side – YouTube

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He notes that shippers will appear “whether you want them there or not,” and that how creators respond and foster their communities matters. Archive of Our Own’s statistics are a clear example of how shipping can sustain interest in a property.

For example, the perennial top ship on AO3 is Dean Winchester and Castiel from Supernatural—a familiar queer friends-to-lovers arc the show never fully delivered. Shipping often gives fans a way to demand more LGBTQIA+ representation.

But the 20th most popular ship? Dean and Sam Winchester—brothers. Disturbing, to say the least. Refer back to Pondsmith’s reaction above.

The most popular video game ships are Jayce and Viktor, followed by Caitlyn and Vi, both from League of Legends. Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t appear in those rankings since its 2020 release, though Keanu Reeves’ presence in the game likely inspired plenty of unusual and creative pairings. Clearly, players can be very inventive—much to Pondsmith’s chagrin.

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.”