In a somewhat surprising move, CD Projekt Red has announced ‘Afterlife: The Card Game’; a Cyberpunk 2077 card game spin-off. Of course, the studio does have experience with card games thanks to their work developing Gwent: The Witcher Card Game. However, Afterlife is being developed in collaboration with CMON, an international publisher of board games, and will actually be a physical card game rather than a digital one.
What Exactly is Afterlife, the Cyberpunk 2077 Card Game?
Afterlife: The Card Game was announced by CD Projekt Red on social media earlier today. At present, there are few details available about the upcoming game, and it has no firm release date. The studio writes that it will be coming sometime in 2020. However, it’s unclear if they have any plans to align the release with that of Cyberpunk 2077, or whether it’s simply too early for the company to pin down a launch date.
“In the game,” explains CD Projekt Red; “you become Fixers – databrokers and masterminds of Night City. Your job is to recruit cyberpunks, equip them with gear, and send them out on missions. Each successful mission raises your Street Cred, with mission survivors becoming Veterans, imparting their Knowledge and experience to newer recruits. In this chrome-infused world, Street Cred is the only currency that matters.”
Thus far, the studio hasn’t yet released any official images of what the game might look like. However, based on the description, it sounds as though Afterlife will be a substantially different experience to Gwent. Players will reportedly use an “innovative drafting mechanic and special dashboard,” to keep track of an in-game purchasing system, for example; a concept which is far removed from the mechanics of Gwent.
It’s currently unknown when fans might get their first glimpse at Afterlife, but it may not be for a while. This announcement may be intended to avoid any fan disappointment later; there have been more than a few instances in recent memory of major studios revealing that a hyped-up title is actually a card game, to widespread disappointment. Card games certainly have an audience, but CD Projekt Red may be wise to temper expectations early and thus avoid fans’ imaginations running wild.