The Witcher devs making pen-and-paper classic 'Cyberpunk 2020' a video game

Classic pen and paper role-playing game Cyberpunk is being turned into a triple-A video game by the folks behind The Witcher, the developers said today.

The developers behind popular role-playing game The Witcher are working to turn cult classic pen and paper role-playing game Cyberpunk into a triple-A video game, the developers said today.

Cyberpunk will contain all of the hallmarks of The Witcher series combined with the look and feel of the classic role-playing game.

The news came during CD Projekt Red Group's live video stream of their Summer Conference 2012. CD Projekt Red is perhaps best known for The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, both games based on the book series of the same name by author Andrzej Sapkowski. Cyberpunk will be developed by a new team at the developer composed of veterans from the Witcher franchise, according to the company.

Cyberpunk was based on the works of William Gibson and Bruce Sterling when it first hit in 1988 as Cyberpunk 2013. Later versions of the game hit in 1990 and 2005. All three versions of the game deal with cybernetic modification, high tech weapons and mega corporations.

During the press conference the team said the game will be a mature RPG for mature audiences, "realistic and brutal, sent in a rich and futuristic world." The game will have a gripping non-linear story, multiple classes and a gigantic arsenal of weapons, upgrades, implants and cool high-tech toys.

"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," according to the press release. "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."

Mike Pondsmith, the creator of the original games, was on hand during the Warsaw, Poland press conference to talk about his creation and its move into the video game world.

"When we were contacted by CD Projekt Red and saw The Witcher and The Witcher 2, we said these guys can do it they can get that maturity... that dystopian feel," he said. "We're are going to bring you the Cyperpunk game you've all been waiting for."