CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 sends Cyberpunk universe far into the future

The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red announced the final name of its Cyberpunk-inspired video game at a press conference in Warsaw, Poland today. The game will be titled Cyberpunk 2077, sending the sci-fi role-playing game franchise further into the future.

CD Projekt Red says Cyberpunk 2077 will be an open world, sandbox-style game set in the "corrupt and tech-advanced world of the year 2077." The goal, the game's developers say, is to give players the freedom to explore the locations of Night City on their own terms. The game, which is still undated, promises advanced RPG mechanics based on the pen-and-paper role-playing game upgraded to match the 2077 setting.

"We've always seen Cyberpunk as part of a continuum," said the original game's creator, Mike Pondsmith, who likened it to his own personal Star Wars. With Cyberpunk 2077, Pondsmith says he wants to see "how much further the characters and the world we've created can go," while "keeping it grounded in the things we've [already] done" with Cyberpunk 2020.

CD Projekt Red says Cyberpunk 2077 will offer a "gigantic arsenal" of weapons, upgrades, implants, and high-tech gadgets that reflect over 50 years of technological advancement.

Alongside the announcement of the final title of its Cyberpunk video game, CD Projekt Red unveiled its new Cyberpunk 2077 blog. On it, creatives Mike Pondsmith and Cyberpunk 2077 game director Mateusz Kanik talk about the creation of the video game version of the classic RPG.

"As I've often said about the quest to get a great Cyberpunk computer game developed, 'This isn't exactly my first rodeo,'" Pondsmith writes. "We've been down this long and tortuous trail several times before and up to this point we just haven't been able to find the right team with the right balance to make the RPG game we'd be proud to put out in front of our fans."

"We want to show this world from the perspective of the year 2077," writes Kanik. "Innovate, make it more attractive, expand — but at the same time we want to keep that characteristic style and soul from the original Cyberpunk 2020."

Cyberpunk 2077's official website is now live, offering new artwork and wallpapers, the developer blog, and links to social media.

The release date and platforms for Cyberpunk 2077 have not yet been announced.