Cyberpunk 2077 - Official Title, Blog

[RPGWatch]

CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk project has an official title: Cyberpunk 2077.

During its Summer Conference today, CD Projekt RED Studio announced its currently-in-development triple-A game based on renowned pen-and-paper-RPG designer Mike Pondsmith's Cyberpunk® system.

At the conference, CD Projekt co-founder Marcin Iwinski promised players that this game would have all of the hallmarks of the Witcher series that has made the developer so well-known and loved, and even more. Their upcoming RPG will be designed for mature and demanding players who expect to be treated seriously, and the game will be richly detailed, non-linear, and with a complex and gripping story. This much is expected from the talented studio, but the new universe brings with it some new twists in their game design. Players will experience the world through their own, unique characters chosen from different classes - be they blood-thirsty mercenaries or cunning hackers - that they will equip with vast selection of cybernetic implants and deadly weapons. As in the Witcher series, players will face morally ambiguous choices, their actions influencing events in the world at large and the fate of the individuals they encounter.

Original "Cyberpunk" game designer Mike Pondsmith was at hand for the conference in Warsaw, Poland. "For over two decades, I've been proud to say that Cyberpunk's been the gold standard of what it means to be a true cyberpunk game. And it's been a huge success for me and our many fans, with over 5 million players worldwide. But over all that time we haven't found the right team to bring our cyberpunk world to full digital life -- until now. CD Projekt Red is the team we've been hoping for. Their incredible work on The Witcher and The Witcher 2 shows that they share the same dedication and love of great games that we do at Talsorian. I'm especially stoked that they want our participation in making this game a fantastic project that will live up to everything Cyberpunk fans (old and new) have been waiting for. Trust me -- this game is going to rock," said "Maxmike" Pondsmith.

This game will be developed by a new team at CD Projekt RED Studio, composed of veterans from the Witcher franchise. The studio will set new standard in the futuristic RPG genre with an exceptional gaming experience. The most important goal for this division is to create a game matching their vision, a game that corresponds to their high production values.

There's also a new teaser site with a blog. A snip from Implementing P&P mechanisms into a computer game:

At first glance it may seem that there's nothing easier than creating a video game based on an existing RPG system like Cyberpunk® 2020. After all, we already have all the mechanics prepared and ready to use in the game. As simple as it sounds, there's more to it than meets the eye.

The pen & paper game rules are designed to give players as much flexibility as possible. They are more like a set of guidelines which players are at liberty to bend to their liking. Improvisation, dropping rules or adding new ones is a common practice for pen & paper games. This principle applies not only to gameplay rules, like combat or skill tests, but also to character customization. Players are limited only by common sense, the agreement of the group and their imagination.

Video games, on the other hand, do not have that much flexibility. Every element has to be accounted for and carefully designed. Of course, modern AAA RPG games, like The Witcher 2 or the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077, can give the Player lots of freedom. But the underlying mechanics are adhering to very strict rules and if an action or option wasn't implemented in the code, then the player will not be able to do it. The same principle applies to character customization - the player can do only as much as game allows him to. So if game designers decide that it is not possible to play as an ugly midget you will not be able to play one. Sorry Tyrion Lannister fans.