The Glorious Rebirth of Cyberpunk

Given the success of Eidos Montreal’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the enthusiasm over CD Projekt RED’s upcoming Cyberpunk-based CRPG, the editors at OXM UK have penned a new two-page piece that welcomes the resurgence of video game worlds “on the edge of moral bankruptcy” and filled with cybernetic enhancements. It’s a surprisingly good time to be a gamer, as long as you’re willing to dabble out of the mainstream:

Slick noir-presentation always goes down a treat, but it’s that technology-driven sense of twitchy paranoia that I think really brings Cyberpunk to life. One of the settings I’ve always thought nailed this best is a pen & paper RPG called Cyberpunk. CD Projekt RED – the excellent developer behind The Witcher games – recently acquired the rights to create a videogame set in this universe.

The Cyberpunk setting is rich, vibrant, and fascinating. After a socio-economical collapse leads to a period of martial law, the US government starts relying on major corporations to maintain order. Corporate sabotage is par for the course, and all-out warfare between major competing companies isn’t unheard of.

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It’s also worth making a point about how this project came about: CD Projekt RED contacted Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith directly to ask for his permission to make a Cyberpunk game. Most brands get rebooted because market researchers deem it profitable. These guys are making a Cyberpunk game because they grew up obsessing about just how incredible that would be. I did too, and I can’t begin to describe how much I love them for finally making it a reality.