Introduction

The Nomad / Street Kid / Corpo meme template originates from the lifepath selection screen in Cyberpunk 2077, where players choose their character's background.

Background

In Cyberpunk 2077, players are presented with three lifepath options—Nomad, Street Kid, and Corpo—before starting the game. This selection influences the game’s narrative and available dialogue choices. The images that illustrate these options have become a source of humor and parody, often featuring the same character in different contexts.

How It Began

The meme's roots trace back to August 10, 2020, when the 'Lifepath Choices Trailer' for Cyberpunk 2077 was released, revealing the three lifepath options to players. Following the game's launch on December 10, 2020, the lifepath selection screen became a pivotal moment, prompting players to make their choice for the protagonist, V. The earliest known meme, showcasing this screen with Pokémon choices, was posted by the Twitter account @PlayCyberPunk on August 12, 2020.

Internet Reaction

Initially, the lifepath choice screen saw limited meme activity prior to the game's release. One notable example occurred on October 24, 2020, when a Redditor named ocipode created an xQc meme that garnered over 8,000 upvotes in the /r/xqcow subreddit within two months. After the game's official release, the meme format gained significant traction, especially among Russian-speaking users on VK, and it proliferated across platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram.