Idris Elba is coming to ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ in 2023

The first major bit of DLC for Cyberpunk 2077 — unless you count a buttload of patches — is due out in 2023 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. Phantom Liberty is a spy thriller, and it introduces a new character, FIA agent Solomon Reed, who’s played by Idris Elba. The DLC also includes new missions and a new district in Night City, all of it culminating in “an impossible mission of espionage and survival,” according to developer CD Projekt Red.

Phantom Liberty will be the first batch of paid DLC for Cyberpunk 2077, though there’s no word on exactly how much it will cost.

Cyberpunk 2077 came out in December 2020 and was immediately lambasted as a glitchy, unpolished mess by many players and reviewers. CD Projekt Red released a series of fixes for the game and, over time, it’s stabilized and players have found the fun that was hiding there all along.

Elba joins fellow mainstream actor Keanu Reeves in the Cyberpunk universe, and this won’t be the last we’ll hear of the franchise. There’s a fabulous Netflix anime based on the game and CD Projekt Red is already building a full-on sequel, codenamed “Orion.”

‘Earthblade’ is the next game from the team behind ‘Celeste’

Extremely OK Games, the developer behind the award-winning platformer Celeste, has revealed its new project at this year’s Game Awards. It’s called Earthblade, and just like Celeste, it’s a 2D exploration-action game set in a pixel world. In Earthblade, you’ll play Névoa, which the developer describes as an “enigmatic child of Fate” (with horns) who’s returning to Earth. The trailer shows you some of the obstacles you’ll have to face and the foes you’ll have to defeat while exploring the remnants of a ruined world. Extremely OK also says you’ll be piecing together Earth’s fractured history as you play. 

We wouldn’t be surprised if you have high expectations for Earthblade, seeing as Celeste had won several awards after it was launched. At The Game Awards in 2018, it won best independent release of the year. (Extremely OK didn’t get its winged statue after the show ended, but a fan unknowingly purchased it from eBay and sent it to the developer just earlier this year.) It will take some time before you can play Earthblade and go on an adventure with Névoa, though: The game won’t be available until 2024.

‘Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’ is a direct sequel to ‘Fallen Order’ arriving March 17th

The Game Awards is often full of surprise announcements and reveals but one thing we knew going into this year’s ceremony is that it would provide a first look at Star Wars Jedi: Survivor gameplay. The game takes place five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Fittingly, the trailer shows an older and more rugged Cal Kestis, who’s now a Jedi Knight. 

You’ll journey to new planets in the Star Wars galaxy, each of which has unique biomes and enemies. You’ll have fresh gear, skills and abilities at your disposal to help you survive these worlds. For one thing, Cal will be able to wield two lightsabers at once. He’ll also have an ascension cable for vertical traversal and the ability to tame and ride creatures.

The trailer for the next entry in Respawn’s Dark Souls-inspired series closed with a release date. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will arrive on current-gen systems on March 17th, adding another prominent title to what’s shaping up to be a busy first quarter for major game releases.

‘Death Stranding 2’ is Hideo Kojima’s next game

Hideo Kojima’s next project is Death Stranding 2. The reveal trailer for the sequel shows Fragile, played by Léa Seydoux, and Sam, played by Norman Reedus, in a world still infested with lethal BTs. There’s no word on a release date, but according to the trailer’s YouTube description, it’s heading to PlayStation 5. 

Kojima took the stage during The Game Awards to introduce Death Stranding 2. Its cast is just as star-studded as the original, featuring Elle Fanning, Shioli Kutsuna and Troy Baker alongside Reedus and Seydoux.

Death Stranding came out in 2019 and it steadily became the industry’s favorite walking simulator (despite the fact that it may have been a better movie than a video game). By the end of 2022, more than 10 million people had played Death Stranding. Its primary gameplay innovation was an online system that allowed players to communicate with each other, even though it was a single-player experience. Death Stranding was the first title out of Kojima Productions, the studio Kojima himself founded after parting ways with his longtime employer, Konami. 

Ahead of The Game Awards on December 8th, Kojima tweeted some teases for the show, including an image that seemed to be Fragile from Death Stranding. The tweet included the text, “How come?” and Kojima added, “‘WHO’ ‘WHERE’ ‘HOW’ and now ‘WHY’.”

We now know what Kojima was talking about — not that he asked.

Footage of what appeared to be Kojima’s next project leaked online in early November in the form of a super strange video. It showed a character resembling Mama from Death Stranding traversing creepy corridors with a dark presence at her back, and ended with a title screen reading, “Overdose.” It also included the reflection of a lounging shirtless man recording the footage off-screen, but that’s likely unrelated to any gameplay mechanics. Today at The Game Awards, Kojima said his studio is also working on a second, completely new project with an experimental edge, so there’s still some hope for whatever this was.

‘The Last of Us Part I’ hits PC on March 3rd, 2023

The Last of Us Part I will officially hit PC on March 3rd, 2023. This follows the game’s launch on PlayStation 5 earlier in 2022. 

Part I is a modern remake of the original The Last of Us, Naughty Dog’s dramatic zombie-adjacent game that came out in 2013 and quickly became an industry darling. There’s since been a sequel, an upgraded version of that game, a remastered version of the original title for PS4, and probably a few other iterations we’re forgetting, plus an HBO series coming out in January. 

We found The Last of Us Part I on PS5 to be gorgeous yet achingly faithful to its source material. For fans of the series, that’s not a terrible outcome, and soon PC players will have the chance to judge for themselves.

‘Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon’ drops March 2023

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon has premiered at The Game Awards, where a trailer also debuted for the franchise’s upcoming spinoff. Like its name implies, Bayonetta Origins tells the story of Bayonetta when she was Cereza and has only just summoned her first demon Cheshire. The trailer gives us a glimpse at the story and about how Cereza explores a forest despite her mother’s warnings. It also shows the game’s storybook elements, as well as some bits of gameplay with and without Cheshire. 

Bayonetta Origins will be available on March 17th, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch only. You can pre-order a digital copy of the game from the eShop right after The Game Awards wraps up, but you can also purchase a physical copy when the title launches.

‘Judas’ is the first project from BioShock creator Ken Levine’s Ghost Story Games

Ghost Story Games has revealed its first title nearly six years after BioShock creator Ken Levine founded the studio. A trailer for Judas debuted at The Game Awards and while it’s not an actual BioShock game, it draws from that series’ art style. It’s also a first-person shooter in which it looks like you can wield elemental powers.

You play as the titular Judas, a “mysterious and troubled” character who is stuck on a starship that’s falling apart. According to a description on the game’s Steam page, “your only hope for survival is to make or break alliances with your worst enemies.” 

Bloomberg reported earlier this year that the game had been stuck in development hell for several years amid multiple reboots and Levine changing the direction of the project multiple times. But Levine suggested back in 2015 that his next game would be a sci-fi first-person shooter, and Judas at least fits that bill. There’s no release window as yet, but it’s coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Meanwhile, there is a BioShock game in development at a separate Take-Two studio. But this is not that. Judas is definitely not a BioShock game.

‘Hades II’ promises witchy vibes and a new immortal protagonist

Supergiant Games is sticking with what works. Hades II is on its way, slinging more Greek god-ness and a new protagonist, the Princess of the Underworld. The game is heading to early access on PC first, with more details coming in 2023.

The reveal trailer for Hades II shows the protagonist, Melinoë, training with the witch goddess Hecate, before diving into a familiar isometric landscape. Familiar, but perhaps with a few more gnarly trees. Like its predecessor, Hades II is a roguelike dungeon crawler. And if it’s truly anything like the original Hades, it’ll be fun as hell.

Hades II is a direct sequel to Hades. Supergiant describes its story as, “Chronos, the Titan of Time and the wicked father of Hades and his brothers, has escaped his imprisonment in the depths of the Underworld to wage war on Olympus. Can Time itself be stopped?” Melinoë is the sister of Zagreus, the star of the original game, and she has her own magical abilities.

The full game will eventually be available on consoles and PC, but early access will begin on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Supergiant revealed the sequel during The Game Awards.

‘Dead Cells’ is getting Castlevania crossover DLC in early 2023

Dead Cells developers Motion Twin and Evil Empire are getting a chance to pay tribute to Castlevania, the series that inspired their game, with the roguelike’s next DLC. Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is said to be the game’s biggest expansion to date, and it will be available on the PC and console versions in early 2023.

An animated trailer that debuted at The Game Awards gave a sense of what’s in store, though it didn’t provide a look at any actual gameplay just yet. You’ll be able to team up with Castlevania heroes Richter Belmont and Alucard as you battle throngs of monsters, including werewolves, in an attempt to reach the Dark Lord’s throne room. The DLC includes 14 Castlevania weapons and items, including the Vampire Killer, Cross and Holy Water. They’ve all been reworked to fit in with the fast-paced combat of Dead Cells.

The DLC includes two new biomes, including Dracula’s Castle. You’ll get to fight Death and Dracula as you make your way toward “Dead Cells’ most epic and ambitious boss battle yet,” according to a press release. On top of all that, the soundtrack features 51 original Castlevania tracks. Twelve of them are getting a Dead Cells-style makeover, including “Vampire Killer,” “Bloody Tears” and “Divine Bloodlines.”