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How Did I Not Know About The New Cyberpunk 2077 Game?
CD Projekt Red is typically fairly outspoken when it comes to updates to their now critically acclaimed RPG, Cyberpunk 2077. Whether it is for a tiny patch or a completely transformative patch, you can be sure that the developer will blast its socials with announcements and posts, and the mainstream gaming media will pick up the news and share it. However, rather bizarrely, a brand-new Cyberpunk 2077 game is in development, and I’m yet to hear anyone really discuss it outside of niche circles and a handful of articles.
We’re all very aware of the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 sequel thanks to a handful of leaked information and plenty of speculation doing the rounds online. However, this new Cyberpunk 2077 is something completely new, although perhaps not all that surprising for those who’ve been keeping up with all the smaller side projects CD Projekt Red has released around its open-world RPG. The new game in question is the Cyberpunk 2077 TCG (trading card game), and it looks ridiculously good. The fact that it isn’t being more widely discussed is a genuine shame, as I believe there is the potential here for it to become something truly special, even despite it entering one of the most saturated gaming markets in existance.
Cyberpunk 2077’s New TCG Looks Amazing
CD Projekt Red has released or been a part of numerous side projects surrounding both The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, so it isn’t particularly surprising to see it dip its toe in the world of TCGs. It, of course, released a physical version of Gwent, a surprisingly in-depth Witcher 3 board game, the Gangs of Night City game, and currently has the Cyberpunk 2077 board game in the works, which raised over $10 million on Gamefound. A trading card game based on the world of Cyberpunk feels fitting at this point, if only to rival its fantasy counterpart.
The Cyberpunk TCG is in development by WeirdCo, a company that prides itself on not using AI in any part of its creation process. It appears that the Cyberpunk 2077 TCG is the studio’s debut title, which is frankly rather impressive considering the level of depth on display here. Merely by following the game’s upcoming Kickstarter project, you can download PDF files of two Cyberpunk TCG starter decks, and they’re a gorgeous sight to behold. There’s a relatively complex set of rules at play here, backed by stunning art that expertly translates a lot of the iconography we’ve become familiar with into highly stylized and detailed cards.
Cyberpunk 2077’s TCG leans a little into the original role-playing game by not having it be a simple back-and-forth of diminishing one another’s health pool, but rather chasing gigs and using your gear and cybernetic implants to help achieve that goal. Of course, you’ll still place down fearsome characters and legends to aid you in stealing your opponents’ gigs and trashing their board. In fact, Cyberpunk TCG is designed to be as fast-paced as possible, eschewing the lengthy mana-building phases of something like Magic: The Gathering for quick, scrappy brawls as you sell away your cards to earn eddies and keep the battle flowing. Of course, as unique as it sounds, it will have to do a lot in order to stand out in such a saturated market.
Cyberpunk 2077’s TCG Will Have To Do A Lot To Stand Out
Cyberpunk’s TCG is entering a market dominated by a handful of incredibly successful leaders that show absolutely no signs of slowing down. It simply isn’t enough to have a unique premise and incredible presentation. TCGs like Altered have come and practically gone, barely being stocked in local game stores because they’re ousted almost immediately by more popular titles like Magic: The Gathering or the Pokémon TCG. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any room for competition, as League of Legends’ own TCG, Riftbound, has proven, but it does mean it is hard to penetrate the market as it currently stands.
Starting on Kickstarter will certainly help, as it’ll guarantee not only an immediate pool of players but also a community through which future expansions can be funded. This is largely how the aforementioned Altered has managed to stay afloat, and how other lesser-known TCGs continue to thrive, despite having absolutely no presence in retailers or online. Of course, Cyberpunk TCG has name recognition, which is immensely important in this day and age. It may be enough to slap Rebecca, Lucy, David, and Adam Smasher on some cards to get people interested. Indeed, with the upcoming Edgerunners season in the works and obviously new Cyberpunk 2077 video games, there’s plenty of potential for crossovers.
However, I do think that in order to become a household name, like Riftbound seems to be slowly achieving, the Cyberpunk TCG needs to do a little more than chuck a few dice into the mix and see what happens. The rules at play here are complex enough to sustain enjoyable matches, but I’d be interested to see how this evolves, as the potential for additional formats seems somewhat limited right now. Magic: The Gathering thrives because of the unique ways fans and Wizards of the Coast encourage diverse playstyles and modes. Cyberpunk TCG will absolutely need a little of that magic if it wants to succeed.
Regardless, I still think it’s pretty great that we’re getting any form of Cyberpunk card game, especially as I’m already madly in love with the art that has come out of this game and quite happy to pay unbelievable sums of money to have it printed on little pieces of cardboard. Perhaps, though, CD Projekt Red could do a little better in marketing it. I only just happened to stumble across it, and the impressive, but not overwhelming, number of followers on the Kickstarter project makes me feel as if I’m not alone. Hopefully, more people find out about this and support it like its incredibly successful board game counterpart, if only so I can get immensely invested in yet another TCG and have absolutely no one to play it with.
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