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CD Projekt Red Unveils New RPG: Cyberpunk 2077

CD Projekt Red, the developers known for the critically acclaimed Witcher franchise (check out our review of The Witcher 2 on Xbox 360 to see why) have finally opened the lid on their latest project: Cyberpunk 2077. The game is inspired/based on the pen-and-paper roleplaying game Cyberpunk 2020, check it out here, and is of course inspired by films like Bladerunner.

As you can see in the CG trailer above, the game looks like it has a very distinct atmosphere and wonderful visuals (for CG anyway.) While that teaser doesn’t show any indication of how the game will actually look and play, I think it’s safe to assume the game itself will be equally as breathtaking. They also released the following details in the CG trailers description:

The teaser shows how the Psycho Squad might acquire a new member. The Psycho Squad specializes in combating “psychos” — individuals who overuse implants and substances that boost or otherwise alter the human body. There comes a point when they overdose on these innovations, and their bodies start to rebel against their biological body parts as well as all things organic around them. Simply put, they start killing people, who they now derisively call “meatbags.”

When a psycho goes on the rampage, strange things can happen. There’s carnage, and the psycho might be taken down by regular police, but they’re not always able to get the job done. When things spin out of control, they call in MAX-TAC (Maximum Force Tactical Division), popularly called the Psycho Squad.

They are making a lot of bold promise with this game, as they outlined in their Summer Conference workshop last year that you can check out below.

If you watch the video, you will see that their six promises are:

  • Mature RPG for mature audiences, realistic and brutal, set in a rich, futuristic world
  • Gripping non linear story full of life and detail
  • Advanced RPG mechanics based on a pen&paper RPG system
  • Varied selection of different character classes
  • Gigantic arsenal of weapons, upgrades, implants and cool high-tech toys
  • Set new standard in the futuristic RPG genre with an exceptional RPG experience

cyberpunk image

The following information has been sent over, courtesy press release, to shed a bit more background on the world of the game itself:

In Cyberpunk 2077, the player will be thrown into a dark future. The metropolis of Night City is a stage set to tell the tale of one individual, raised on the streets, who tries to lift himself up from the gutter and find a way to survive amongst boostergangs and megacorporations in a city of filth and sin. Drugs, violence, poverty and exclusion haven’t disappeared by 2077, as people stayed they were for centuries – greedy, closed-minded and weak. But not only ghosts of the past trouble mankind, but new issues have appeared. Psychos go on rampages and the streets are filled with junkies addicted to a new form of entertainment – the braindance, a cheap way to experience the emotions and stimuli of someone else, someone living a more exciting life.

This is the world of 2077. The gap between high and low is bigger than ever. Drugs, violence, braindance, psychos on the loose… Will you be able to function in this defunct society or end up a BD-junky with nothing left, set aside like garbage – still living someone’s else life –not aware of what’s going on around you?  Whether you like it or not – this is the age of braindance decadence; this is Cyberpunk 2077.

Keep an eye on The Koalition for more details as we find them, but this game has a lot of potential. No word on platforms, release date, or anything like that yet, but the official site, along with its embedded blog, are regularly updated. Comparisons to Deus Ex (especially Human Revolution) are inevitable, so it will be interesting to see how the two games compare to one another. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!