Summary
- CD Projekt Red announced a new Cyberpunk 2077 comic series called XOXO, which tells an explosive love story set in the game's world.
- The comic is written by Bartosz Sztybor, who previously worked on Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
- While the comic may not directly affect the game's current DLC, it could potentially have an impact on the upcoming Cyberpunk sequel.
The latest Cyberpunk 2077 announcement from San Diego Comic-Con likely turned quite a few heads. After CD Projekt Red said that Phantom Liberty would be the only Cyberpunk 2077 DLC expansion, suddenly there were mumblings about Cyberpunk 2077 XOXO online, which may have made fans wonder what exactly was going on. CDPR hasn't changed its mind about the DLC, but CP2077 still isn't done yet, it seems.
As the Cyberpunk series originally started off as a tabletop roleplaying game, and CDPR only adapted it into a video game, it's understandable that Cyberpunk 2077 would spread to other media, as was demonstrated with the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime by Studio TRIGGER. Now, CP2077 is expanding into new territory with its latest comic series Cyberpunk 2077 XOXO.
What is Cyberpunk 2077 XOXO?
The latest Cyberpunk 2077 comic series is a story called "XOXO" which seeks to be a story about two star-crossed lovers stuck amid the battle between the Maelstrom and Mox gangs. Things come to a head when both groups fight over Corpo loot they find, and the love-struck Maelstrom member hesitates to take out a rival gang member to grab it. The official summary for the series calls it an "explosive love story" and it certainly sounds rather action-packed.
Told in four issues, Cyberpunk 2077 XOXO is written by Bartosz Sztybor, the same writer for the Blackout comics and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. However, it may take a while for CDPR to show any influence from Sztybor's latest project, if there is any, as the development on Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to a close with the release of Phantom Liberty. There's still a chance of this affecting CP2077, though.
Cyberpunk 2077 Won't be Affected by the XOXO Comics For Now
Considering that Sztybor has already left a mark on CDPR's futuristic sci-fi RPG, it would make sense if fans saw the XOXO comic announcement and assumed that details from that would surface in Phantom Liberty as the cybernetics rework seems to take active inspiration from Sztybor's writing in Edgerunners. That said, the fact that the Cyberpunk XOXO miniseries won't start until October 2023 makes this rather unlikely unless Cyberpunk 2077 spoils it early.
Phantom Liberty is set to change the game, but it releases almost a month ahead of XOXO. While it's possible for CD Projekt Red to slip in a few references that could only be noticed once fans read the newer comics, it might not be high on their priority list compared to all the other overhauls that Cyberpunk 2077 is getting with Phantom Liberty's launch. That doesn't mean that XOXO will be forgotten for certain, though.
Despite the game's troublesome launch, the reason why CDPR is leaving Phantom Liberty as the last little hurrah for CP2077 is because a sequel is currently in development. If the developers love the story of XOXO so much, then there's a chance that it'll place some homages to the newer story in Cyberpunk's sequel, be it in the form of including similar story beats, or a direct tie-in like the DLC from Edgerunners.
No matter what the future holds, though, for now, Cyberpunk fans at the very least don't have to worry about Phantom Liberty being the end. While it will introduce a new ending to CP2077, things like Dark Horse's Cyberpunk 2077 comics and other collaborations with CD Projekt Red will likely keep fans entertained until their next release, be it the upcoming Cyberpunk sequel, something Witcher-related, or something entirely new.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.