Cyberpunk 2077 achieved significant buzz this past June when it revealed to everyone’s surprise that Keanu Reeves would be acting as one of the main characters in the game, Johnny Silverhand. Today, in what will likely be even more great news for Cyberpunk 2077 fans, the game’s developers announced they will be teaming up with tabletop game maker Cmon to produce a card game based on the universe.
The card game will be titled Cyberpunk 2077: Afterlife and will feature characters from the video game. Its official release date? Sometime later on next year. In fact, there is little information beyond some very general descriptions of game mechanics for Afterlife. But, essentially, the player will take on the role of a so-called “fixer” responsible for managing a crew of cyberpunks. Afterlife will not be virtual: All of the cards will be physical.
“Afterlife: The Card Game thrusts players into the dark alleyways of Night City,” the game’s official website reads.
As a fixer, the player will be in charge of several cyberpunks, including their equipment, tools, and abilities. All of which will be represented by various cards. Fixers will need to use their cyberpunks to complete missions to win the game. Every cyberpunk that survives a mission will earn a veteran status, which allows them to grant bonuses to less-experienced cards in the game.
The main “currency” of the game is street cred. Although there is no indication if street cred will be actually used as in-game currency or if street cred is the points system players use to win the game. In fact, it could potentially be both.
“Each successful mission raises your Street Cred,” the website reads. “In this chrome-infused world, Street Cred is the only currency that matters.”
All-in-all, Afterlife appears to be a resource management game more than anything else. According to its official description, the card game forces its players to balance the things they want or need with what they are able to afford, which seems to suggest that street cred will be used to rank players as well as to buy better cards and improve your deck.
Afterlife looks like a great time. It is not the first spin-off released before the video game. There is also an upcoming tabletop RPG titled Cyberpunk Red. But, ultimately, these spin-offs are just more appetizers before the main course. And as for that main course, Cyberpunk 2077 will launch on April 16, 2020.