2022's The Game Awards has announced Idris Elba for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty DLC.
TGA has revealed the upcoming DLC for Cyperpunk 2077, with Elba attached to the cast as Solomon Reed. Solomon serves as an FIA Agent for the NUSA in the new district of Night City. Additionally, Keanu Reeves will return as Johnny Silverhand, lead singer of the band Samurai, who goes against the NUSA government.
In addition to portraying Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad, Elba starred as Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The actor also voiced a character in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and played a coach in NBA 2K20. Like Elba, Reeves has also appeared in several video games. In 1991, Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure launched on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Additionally, Reeves' character John Wick became a skin for Fortnite after bearing a resemblance to "The Reaper" character.
Announced in September 2022, the Phantom Liberty DLC explores the Night City district with new weapons, cyberware and an espionage plot involving the New United States of America and Militech. The Cyberpunk franchise follows the fall of the US and NATO and how the country became ravaged by homelessness and famine in the year 2077.
Released in 2020, CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world adventure set in the same universe as the 1988 eponymous tabletop role-playing game. Players control a mercenary named V, who can gain various technological skills like hacking and the ability to partake in combat with machinery.
On Dec. 6, CD Projekt Red shut down the possibility of multiplayer coming to Cyberpunk 2077 after months of rumors surrounding the potential game mode. The development team simply had to shift their focus to fixing the game after its initial launch instead of working on other projects. "We don't want to go overboard or lose our single-player DNA. We want to take thoughtful steps to build robust online capabilities," CDPR's lead quest designer and narrative director Philipp Weber said.
While the Cyperbunk universe rose in prominence in the gaming industry, the franchise is gaining traction in the anime world. Released in September 2022, Cyberpunk Edgerunners is a Polish-Japanese anime based on the video game Cyberpunk 2077. The series later received wide praise from critics and fans of the franchise. However, CD Projekt announced Cyberpunk Edgerunners would not receive another season due to the studio's plans to keep it as a standalone work.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty releases for the PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X|S sometime in 2023.
Source: YouTube