Cyberpunk 2077 players think they've found Idris Elba's character before Phantom Liberty

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Idris Elba
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty players think they've found Idris Elba's Solomon Reed chilling in Night City before the DLC even takes place.

The player just below, taking to the Cyberpunk 2077-dedicated subreddit, was apparently doing "random gigs," when they came across a man in a bar who looked suspiciously familiar. There's no denying it: the NPC does look a lot like Idris Elba, or more accurately, his Cyberpunk 2077 character of Solomon Reed.

Elba before the DLC in vanilla game?? from r/cyberpunkgame

There's a little more to this weird coincidence than meets the eye though. As some in the comments point out, Reed actually mentions he moonlights as a bouncer in Night City, when he's not busy working corporate espionage jobs for the President of America, that is.

"And this guy does have the exact same cyberware too. So I'd say it's him! A great Easter egg," points out a commenter. Apparently, this bar is called the "Electric Orgasm," and can be located in the Downtown City Centre region of Night City, if you feel like popping by to say hi.

Another player reckons they've seen Reed at a bar called 'Malted Iguana Liquors.' Oh, and fair warning: apparently Reed will vanish if you return to the same bar at a later date, so you might only get one shot to drop in on the cameo.

Apparently, Reed isn't the only one with a base game cameo. Songbird, one of Phantom Liberty's other major players (and a character with deep ties to Reed, no less), can seemingly be found in a bar called Empathy, where Johnny Silverhand's band Samurai plays in the base game. Retroactively adding new characters to Cyberpunk 2077 is a nice little touch.

Check out our Cyberpunk 2077 weapons guide if you're after some of the best guns you can get your hands on in Phantom Liberty. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

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