Back in 2013, CD Projekt Red revealed that one of its next projects will be Cyberpunk 2077; which is based on the classic Cyberpunk RPG created by Mike Pondsmith in 1988. And while we’re still waiting for Cyberpunk 2077 to get a release date, Pondsmith recently took a look back at the legacy of his creation while hinting that there may be a new edition or continuation of the Cyberpunk RPG to come in the near future.
Glixel has posted an extensive feature on Cyberpunk and its creator, which offers a very interesting overview of Pondsmith’s origins as an RPG maker and the creation of Cyberpunk itself. In particular, Pondsmith noted Blade Runner‘s influence on his initial game, which ultimately led to an RPG that is considered to be instrumental in the rise of cyberpunk as a sci-fi sub-genre. “I remember thinking that somebody should make a game out of that, and that’s what I tried to do. I wanted to get that feeling of perpetual midnight, the neon reflected in the rain-slick streets, that sense that everything is in flux and there’s a constant threat of violence.”
Pondsmith also related the story of how CD Projekt Red approached him to make the game while reiterating his involvement with bringing Cyberpunk to a new medium. “My wife told me that these guys in Poland wrote to us and said they wanted to do a Cyberpunk game. They told me that the game was really important to them back in the Iron Curtain days – back then, they had Cyberpunk and communism. What impressed us was not just their capabilities and their well-organized toolsets, but that they knew and loved the material. I said, let’s do this thing…I go over there pretty regularly. I’ll probably go back in the next couple of months. I’m in a room with a hundred people, all firing ideas back and forth. We jump up and down on the systems and see how well they work. I really got lucky.”
Regarding the rumors of an updated Cyberpunk RPG that could coincide with the release of the video game, Pondsmith seemed to confirm the project without actually saying much about it. “There will be more Cyberpunk stuff coming, yes,” said Pondsmith. “One thing I’ve learned is that I don’t talk about anything before it’s ready. I pioneered some genres, and people started paying attention to what I say. I don’t want to help the competition.”
If you want to know more, we highly recommend you check out Glixel’s full feature on Pondsmith and Cyberpunk.
Are you excited about the potential new Cyberpunk RPG? And will you get the Cyberpunk 2077 video game when it comes out? Let us know in the comment section below!
Image Credit: CD Projekt Red