Exclusive: CD Projekt-Backed Cyberpunk TCG Revealed, Featuring Characters From 2077 and Edgerunners — Here's Everything You Need to Know

The brainchild of Mike Pondsmith backmost successful 1988 arsenic a TTRPG, Cyberpunk arsenic a spot has exploded successful the past decade, acknowledgment successful nary tiny portion to CD Projekt Red and 2020's merchandise of their first-person RPG, Cyberpunk 2077. Now, 5 years and expansions, patches, and committee games later, the satellite of Cyberpunk is trying its robotic hands successful a marque caller – and highly competitory – marketplace with a afloat fledged, and collectible, Cyberpunk: Trading Card Game.

IGN has had the accidental to talk with the teams astatine WeirdCo and CD Projekt Red, who are moving connected the recently announced TCG, to get a amended knowing of the designers astatine WeirdCo, however this concern came to be, and adjacent immoderate goodies astir the crippled itself. We've besides got an exclusive archetypal look astatine cardinal paper creation from the Cyberpunk TCG (flip done the assemblage below), featuring Cyberpunk 2077's Saburo and Yorinobu Arasaka, and their useful bodyguard, Goro Takemura.

WeirdCo, a caller look successful the satellite of TCGs, has been moving successful adjacent concern with CDPR themselves to devise this caller paper game, aiming to seizure the code and aesthetic of 2077 and the Edgerunners' Netflix anime, to present a crippled that doesn't conscionable consciousness similar different TCG conscionable with a overgarment of Cyberpunk yellowish overtop. One mode the squad is doing this is by moving with high-profile artists, some interior to CDPR and the wider community, to present gorgeous paper creation featuring faces that volition beryllium acquainted to anyone worthy their hold successful Chrome.

Speaking with Elliot Cook (WeirdCo President) and Luohan Wei (WeirdCo CEO), some co-founders of the business, I wanted to cognize however this caller workplace came about.

Elliot began, "WeirdCo was formed erstwhile Luohan and I met each different done our communal mentor, Bill Mooney: a existent fable successful the integer gaming space. We instantly deed it disconnected implicit our passionateness for gathering games that genuinely link with their communities. Later, we formed WeirdCo to make games unneurotic — ones that authentically bring unneurotic and animate people."

"CD Projekt Red has a akin goal, and erstwhile we saw this successful each different we knew it would beryllium a large partnership. What has been paramount, and the question we inquire ourselves daily, is “how bash we marque a crippled that represents and celebrates each portion of Cyberpunk — everyplace it has been and everyplace it is going?" That is the northbound prima of our development."

With Cyberpunk being 1 of the biggest media properties close now, I was funny however a marque caller radical could tackle specified a monster IP, but contempt it being a caller team, the radical moving connected the Cyberpunk TCG has worked connected different ample IP paper games you astir apt person heard of. "We astatine WeirdCo person nonstop acquisition moving connected immoderate large paper games" Elliot explains.

"Marvel Snap, Duel Masters, and Universus, to sanction a few. At our halfway we are disruptors, conscionable similar CD Projekt Red, and we some strive to animate our players. We saw this successful each different from the beginning, and I deliberation CD Projekt Red saw our emotion for the Cyberpunk 2077 beingness too. This is an IP that deserves to beryllium explored successful antithetic and breathtaking ways, and we’re committed to doing this authentically with Cyberpunk TCG, broadside by broadside with the community."

On the taxable of CD Projekt Red, they person been a changeless state during the game’s plan and development. Elliot provides further details, "We person worked with CD Projekt Red precise intimately since the opening of development. They person been the perfect partner; you whitethorn adjacent spot the aforesaid astonishing artists who worked connected Cyberpunk 2077, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and much arsenic featured artists successful Cyberpunk TCG! Every portion of the TCG has the impeccable RED touch, ensuring this is simply a wholly authentic Cyberpunk experience."

The Cyberpunk TCG won’t beryllium CDPR’s archetypal collaboration successful the tabletop space, with different titles similar Cyberpunk 2077: Gangs of Night City and Cyberpunk Edgerunners: Combat Zone Board Game, but I was funny what unsocial joys oregon challenges came from moving connected a TCG, truthful I asked Patrick Mills, CDPR’s Franchise Content Strategy Lead.

"Every collaboration is unique, and we’re fortunate to enactment with galore partners who are passionate and highly dedicated to their crafts. While making a carnal TCG is thing wholly caller for us, we spot the genuine excitement, enthusiasm, and endowment successful WeirdCo that enactment arsenic the instauration of immoderate palmy collaboration."

"Their passionateness for the franchise has been evident astatine each stage, and they’re doing an unthinkable occupation processing an engaging TCG that ensures an authentic Cyberpunk experience. On the flip side, galore of america astatine CD Projekt Red are immense TCG enthusiasts excessively — truthful we’re thrilled to beryllium entering this abstraction with WeirdCo"

One happening that is wide is that some teams astatine WeirdCo and CDPR are taking attraction to guarantee that this is faithful to the Cyberpunk spot that its creator, Mike Pondsmith, imagined backmost successful 1988.

"We privation Cyberpunk TCG to beryllium authentic to the tone and dynamic quality of the Cyberpunk 2077 universe, and wanted to make a TCG that is accessible to Cyberpunk fans who person ne'er touched a paper game.” Luohan says, “At the aforesaid time, arsenic TCG players ourselves, we wanted our crippled to person the extent indispensable to entertain for a long, agelong time. And I deliberation we person struck that equilibrium well."

Elliot continues, "The champion portion of this occupation is spending hundreds of hours with the Cyberpunk beingness — whether that’s replaying Cyberpunk 2077, watching Edgerunners for the 5th time, oregon speechmaking each the Dark Horse comics. Every 1 of america astatine WeirdCo loves the Cyberpunk universe, and we built the TCG spot by spot connected this foundation. At each measurement we analyzed each small detail, perpetually asking ourselves: "How bash we marque this much authentic to Cyberpunk?"

Many instrumentality favourite characters volition beryllium making an quality arsenic good successful this TCG and picking who would beryllium included successful this archetypal acceptable was a large decision. "For the archetypal release, our superior extremity is to correspond the halfway individuality of Cyberpunk 2077 by featuring galore of its astir iconic and beloved characters,” explains Patrick. “We’ve collaborated intimately with WeirdCo to guarantee that the artwork and spirit of each paper faithfully captures the essence of who they represent, providing a snapshot of their personalities and what they basal for, arsenic good arsenic including memorable moments players volition instantly recognize. Given the complexity of our characters, we wanted to seizure their galore facets crossed aggregate cards. So, players tin look guardant to collecting an array of unsocial variants of characters including V, Johnny, Panam, Judy, Adam Smasher, and more."

On the WeirdCo side, Elliot shares, "We worked precise hard to fig retired which Legends marque the astir consciousness for players, and which ones marque the astir consciousness for the wide taxable of Set 1. While immoderate of them, similar V and Johnny, are evident hits, we person a fewer surprises up our sleeves too."

Being a crippled composed of a ton of cards, artwork is beauteous important successful a TCG and WeirdCo is peculiar attraction to marque definite that what players tin expect is thing abbreviated of beautiful.

"We’ve been moving for a agelong clip with a squad of implicit 20 talented artists for Set 1, and are excited to research caller ways of bringing the satellite of Cyberpunk to beingness done our paper art. Working with artists similar Ito, Vincenzo Riccardi, and Joshua Raphael, who each bring their ain unsocial flair to the project, makes each paper much breathtaking than the last," Elliot continues, "We’re not sharing gameplay details yet, truthful there’s not excessively overmuch I tin say. But Cyberpunk is known for its beauteous yet tragic ambiance — this is simply a large absorption of ours erstwhile it comes to the paper art."

Details connected however Cyberpunk TCG volition enactment stay shrouded down CDPR's and WeirdCo's firewalls, truthful we person a spot yet earlier we person an in-depth representation of however it plays. Cyberpunk's TCG volition beryllium launching its crowdfunding run successful 2026, which is close astir the corner. WeirdCo and CDPR volition beryllium revealing much of the crippled soon, on with a heavy dive into however the crippled plays, much artwork, and paper reveals, with immoderate much peculiar reveals recovered lone present connected IGN.

The TCG abstraction is beauteous crowded with caller contenders entering the ring, it seems similar each 4th oregon so, but fewer person the sanction designation down them similar WeirdCo has with Cyberpunk. The information that this task has truthful overmuch enactment from CD Projekt Red down it puts it successful a antithetic league from others, adjacent earlier it's out.

The excitement from the designers is electric, with Luohan leaving players with this, “I can’t hold for players to spot however we’ve adapted the themes of Cyberpunk, similar taking connected gigs oregon gathering a crew, to a trading paper crippled format. I deliberation it is some existent to Cyberpunk itself portion being innovative to the TCG marketplace arsenic a whole; it’s a cleanable operation successful this way.” As acold arsenic I know, nary different TCG lets you play with Keanu Reeves, truthful that is already a large positive successful its favor. Wake up, Samurai, there's a full caller mode to pain the metropolis coming.

If this sounds up your alley, travel the crippled and get yourself a peculiar and exclusive Lucy "Nova Rare" paper escaped by signing up implicit connected the game's Launch Oracle page.

Scott White is simply a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and usher coverage. Follow him connected X/Twitter oregon Bluesky.

This nonfiction features contributions from Robert Anderson, Senior Commerce Editor for IGN.