This Star Wars article contains spoilers.

From the Prequel Trilogy to Star Wars Rebels, Darth Maul just won't quit. The short-lived villain from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace became a standout fan favorite because of his appearance and acrobatic lightsaber moves, and after his return in season four of The Clone Wars, he moved into other mediums like the four-part Son of Dathomir comic series.

His surprise resurgence in Rebels brought the villain to a whole new era of Star Wars, as Maul clashed with the heroes of the early Rebellion. His particular interest in young Jedi apprentice Ezra Bridger made for quite a few interesting appearances. In his final episode, Maul faced off against his old nemesis, Obi-Wan Kenobi, under the twin suns of Tatooine. Maul was finally defeated, but that doesn't mean we'll never see him again. If the villain has proved anything, it's that he's not one to stay down. In fact, Solo: A Star Wars Story has already set up yet another Maul storyline waiting to unfold...

Here are some important facts you may not have known about the former Sith villain, either behind the scenes or in the galaxy far, far away:

His design was created by Iain McCaig

Ian McCaig is the same designer whose art would eventually inspire the witches of Dathomir in The Clone Wars. Early concept art for the character showed a villainous-looking woman with hair falling in strands across her face. McCaig experimented with ink-blot “Rorschach” designs as well as flayed-looking faces before finding the right look for Darth Maul. The tattoos on his face follow the muscle structure beneath.

A canonical connection between the Dathomiri witches and the Sith would only be established later on in The Clone Wars, and now continues into the new canon, but the connection was always there in the art. Iain McCaig also designed many of Padme’s outfits in Episode I.

Darth Maul wears an earring in the film - but this wasn’t planned. 

Actor Ray Park put on a small, silver earring before sitting down to do the Darth Maul makeup, and only noticed it later. But George Lucas said he liked it, so the earring stayed. Park has said that he sees the earring as an aspect of himself, not of the character - and in an Expanded Universe where every doodad and costume piece usually has a story, there has never been a canon explanation to give this particular detail a role in Maul’s history.

Ray Park also had a hand in developing Maul’s fighting style, and asked that the hilt of Maul’s double lightsaber be lengthened so that he could use it more efficiently.

He’s had two different mothers.

In Son of Dathomir, Talzin says that she’s Maul’s blood mother. This is different from his history in Legends, but only slightly.

Maul’s original mother, from the young adult novel, The Wrath of Darth Maul, was a human Nightsister named Kycina, from a region called Blue Desert City. It’s still possible that Talzin is lying, but The Clone Wars gave Maul an entire family.

Related Article: How The Clone Wars Can Be a Better Show

We’re not precisely sure how the brothers Feral and Savage are related, but they could all be blood-related from this same family. Who is the father? We don’t know yet.

Maul, like many other villains, earned his cyborg parts.

In Star Wars, cybernetic implants are like battle scars. This isn’t unique to antagonists, but Darth Vader and General Grievous had extensive cybernetic reconstruction. Darth Maul goes through this in The Clone Wars, too, although it isn’t overtly obvious in Son of Dathomir. Maul’s original artificial legs are of a similar design to Grievous’, and were built out of Nightsister magic and scrap parts by Mother Talzin.

A similar design for Darth Maul appeared many years earlier in Old Wounds, a non-canon comic (even in the Legends timeline) that told the story of Maul's rematch with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine. The Clone Wars featured an entirely new design for Maul: an eight-legged body made out of scrap metal. By the time Maul appeared in Rebels, he had acquired more refined parts. His metal legs were almost human-like.

He sought his master's approval even while trying to destroy him.

Sure, Darth Maul was a bit of a pushover for getting cut in half by a teenage Padawan. But in Son of Dathomir, he and his combined forces of Mandalorians and criminals capture both Count Dooku and General Grievous without lengthy battles. Once they're in his clutches, Maul parades his success in front of Darth Sidious in one of the most telling parts of the comic.

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Maul displays Grievous and Dooku to Sidious so that the Sith Lord can see their failure. For someone who opposed Sidious for years on The Clone Wars, Maul is very quick to show off to him - which makes for a bitter, twisted moment in Maul and Sidious’ long-standing Master-apprentice relationship.

In that way, the Son of Dathomir comic doesn’t just make Maul more powerful, it also tells a lot about how Maul seeks both revenge on and approval from his master - and that’s a story thread that started all the way back in The Phantom Menace.

Some of Maul’s Clone Wars stories are still unwritten, but not for long.

The novel Ahsoka opens with a short scene showing some of what Maul was up to around the time of Revenge of the Sith. We don’t know the exact timeline of how he got to Mandalore where he faced her. After the original Clone Wars ended after six seasons, we thought we'd never get that story, but with a final season announced, it's likely we'll finally get to see the siege of Mandalore and more of Maul's story. 

Related Article: How Ahsoka Became One of the Best Star Wars Characters Ever

The verbal barb Maul throws at Ahsoka — “One last attempt at glory to impress a master who has no further use for you” — is telling. He showed that very same weakness throughout the Clone Wars when he tried to return to Darth Sidious, so it seems natural that this particular effort would be on his mind when he faces Ahsoka. 

Ahsoka saved Maul’s life.

Without Ahsoka’s appearance in Rebels, Maul’s fate might have been very different. Executive Producer Dave Filoni originally planned for Maul to die at Darth Vader’s hands during the season two finale. However, Ahsoka’s history with Vader was deemed more appropriate for the big season two finale.

A duel between Maul and Vader would have satisfied fans’ desire to see a fight scene between these two heavy-hitters, but Ahsoka’s story had more emotional weight, Filoni said. Without enough time in the episode to do both, Filoni decided to send Ahsoka to fight Vader, and, therefore, keep Maul alive. 

Maul never really finds himself.

Star Warsfeatures many stories of young people growing up and finding their true destinies. Luke Skywalker set the example, but Ezra Bridger and Rey followed suit. Maul, on the other hand, is a perpetual apprentice, never able to move past the manipulative relationship Darth Sidious trapped him in. The partnership between Maul and Ezra in Rebels is as much about Maul finding a direction as it is about him giving orders to Ezra. 

Related Article: 28 Star Wars Rebels You Need to Watch

Filoni said, “Maul is waiting for someone so that he can be his own Sith Lord. Everything he does is a reflection of Palpatine. He hasn’t really done anything that’s representative of who he is.”

Maul's search for himself leads directly to the culmination of his story...

Maul believed in the Chosen One prophecy.

Remember that Old Wounds comic? Rebels took Maul's final chapter in a similar direction. The specifics of the face-off between Maul and Kenobi were very different from what happened in Old Wounds: the episode "Twin Suns" is less focused on their battle and more on the long bond of enmity between Maul and Obi-Wan.

In the poetic and melancholy “Twin Sons,” Maul expresses a dying wish to know whether Obi-Wan was on the planet to guard the Chosen One. Obi-Wan says yes, and Maul dies believing that there is still hope for the Sith to rise when the Chosen One brings “balance.” In the end, Luke Skywalker brings hope to everyone — even his master’s old enemy. 

Game developers keep trying to make a Maul story. 

Maul’s dramatic visual design and simple motivation have made him a popular choice Star Wars video games as well as other media. Revenge drives him, so he provides an immediate hook for a video game that could pit him against Jedi and other dark siders.

A game that would have been a collaboration between LucasArts and Red Fly Studio was poised to tell a dark tale about Maul after Return of the Jedi, but was never completed. Concept art for Battlefront IV also features Maul, albeit a light side version who trained as a Jedi (and, since he wasn’t canonically Dathomirian at the time, didn’t have his tattoos.) 

Now that Maul has finally died in canon, it seems like his story might have ultimately wrapped up on a message of hope. Even Maul, a tragic villain, was granted hope by a Jedi.

Megan Crouse writes about Star Wars and pop culture for StarWars.com, Star Wars Insider, and Den of Geek. Read more of her work here. Find her on Twitter @blogfullofwords.

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Sony will finally allow PS4 owners to play games with Xbox One and Switch gamers. 

"Following a comprehensive evaluation process, SIE has identified a path toward supporting cross-platform features for select third-party content," said Sony via a blog update. "We recognize that PS4 players have been eagerly awaiting an update, and we appreciate the community’s continued patience as we have navigated through this issue to find a solution."

Sony's crossplay support will begin with an open beta for Fortnite that will not only allow for cross-platform play but will let players carry their progress on the PS4 to the Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. This addresses one of the biggest concerns regarding the PS4's previous refusal to play well with the other consoles on the block. 

The reason for the "beta" period seems to be based on Sony simply being unsure whether or not they've got their crossplay technology where it needs to be. This beta test should help them work out any potential technical issues while also ensuring that crossplay meets Sony's standards from a social standpoint. There's no word on whether or not Sony will immediately support more games following the conclusion of the Fortnite beta (or which games they may support), but we imagine that most major third-party games will eventually be included as part of this initiative. Hopefully, the eventual list of supported games will include upcoming major titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Call of Duty Black Ops 4. 

"For 24 years, we have strived to deliver the best gaming experience to our fans by providing a uniquely PlayStation perspective," says SIE President and CEO John Kodera in the blog post. "Today, the communities around some games have evolved to the point where cross-platform experiences add significant value to players. In recognition of this, we have completed a thorough analysis of the business mechanics required to ensure that the PlayStation experience for our users remains intact today, and in the future, as we look to open up the platform."

This is a huge win for PlayStation 4 owners and somewhat of a blow to Microsoft and Nintendo who were having a bit of fun mocking Sony of the PlayStation 4's previous lack of cross-play functionality with other consoles and select devices. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Telltale's The Walking Dead: The Final Season seemed set to bring a fitting conclusion to the company's epic tale of survival in a world ruled by the undead. But mass layoffs at the company in September may actually mean that Clementine's story will go unfinished, as Telltale prepares to shut down for good. While what's left of Telltale (about 25 employees, down from 250) hopes to complete the story before closing down, that might not end up being the case. 

Nothing has been officially announced about the fate of the game either way, but we'll keep you updated as we learn more. For now, here's everything else we know about the game itself:

Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 4 Release Date

The first episode of Telltale's The Walking Dead: The Final Season is out now on XBO, PS4, and PC. Telltale also revealed release dates for the other three episodes, but the recent layoffs at the company have thrown these into doubt:

Episode 2, "Suffer the Children," was expected to arrive on Sept. 25 but missed that launch date. Meanwhile, Episode 3, "Broken Toys," is scheduled for Nov. 6; Episode 4, "Take Us Back," was slated to conclude Clementine's story on Dec. 18. 

Players who pre-ordered The Walking Dead: The Final Season will receive download access to each of the season's four episodes as they become available. Players who pre-order on PS4 and Xbox One will also receive immediate access to The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series Collection, which gathers all 19 existing episodes of the award-winning series into a single package.  

Related Article: What Telltale's Stranger Things Game Would Have Looked Like

Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 4 Trailer

The trailer for the second episode of Telltale's The Walking Dead: The Final Season has arrived. Check it out below:

Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 4 Story

Here's the official synopsis from Telltale:

Clementine, now a fierce and capable survivor, has reached the final chapter in her journey. After years on the road facing threats both living and dead, a secluded school might finally be her chance for a home. But protecting it will mean sacrifice. Clem must build a life and become a leader while still watching over AJ, an orphaned boy and the closest thing to family she has left. In this gripping, emotional final season, you will define your relationships, fight the undead, and determine how Clementine's story ends.

John Saavedra is Games Editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors.

We don't know what the weather was like in the U.K. on May 26, 1897. A romantic individual, however, might say that all throughout the nation, it was a dark and stormy night. This was the day a man named Bram Stoker, a business manager for the popular Lyceum Theater, finally published the book that would turn him into a horror legend. 

On May 1, 1987, almost 90 years to the day of the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Konami released Castlevania in North America. The developer's timing was as deliberate as the game design. After all, Castlevaniawas meant to pay homage to Dracula and the popular horror universe the book had cultivated since its initial release.

That same romantic individual from earlier might tell you that the release of Castlevania symbolized the passing of a torch. Just as Dracula had helped pioneer a horror renaissance in literature and film, Castlevania would become the basis for a revolution in horror gaming. It is a narrative as fantastic and beloved as Dracula itself. The truth, however, is not quite as simple as that.

Related Article: 10 Best Castlevania Games Ever Made

Neither Dracula or Castlevania were entirely the first of their kind. Bram Stoker did not invent the idea of the vampire, nor did he ever claim to. That honor is a little tricky to pin on any one individual, but one of the first documented works of fiction to tackle the subject was a 1748 poem known as The Vampire written by Heinrich August Ossenfelder. That poem, and a brief vampire craze in the early 1700s, was inspired by the rumors that two exhumed corpses in Serbia may have been vampires. Even in his time, Stoker was beaten to the publishing punch by Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla, a story about a lesbian vampire, and John William Polidori’s 1819 classic The Vampyre.

Similarly, Castlevania was far from the first game to feature horror elements. What initially separated the game from the pack, however, were its influences and genre. Unlike games such as Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the Atari that had attempted to capitalize off the latest horror hits, Castlevania’s influences can be traced back to the Universal era of horror films. It also didn’t try to scare players like 1986’s Uninvited did, but rather take them on an adventure filled with allusions to classic horror. As part of the second wave of NES releases in North America, Castlevania’s approach to this subject matter helped it to become one of the first notable action platformer titles.

Dracula benefited from the same approach. It was published at a time when Victorian readers were obsessed with good adventure novels, which would help to explain why Stoker wrote Dracula to be just as much of an adventure story as a horror novel. The book was frightening to be sure (it was, perhaps, the scariest book of its time), but readers and critics back then were just as likely to speak fondly of Dracula’s more exciting moments as they were its macabre aspects.

One of the reasons why Draculaworked as an adventure novel was because of the character Abraham Van Helsing. Van Helsing was one of the first characters in all of vampire fiction that seemed capable of, and willing to, directly oppose these creatures of the night. He and his band of fellow hunters willingly travel the world to confront Dracula and his vampire horde. This idea of a vampire hunter also allowed Stoker to craft a vampire that was worthy of hunting. His Dracula had many weaknesses for Van Helsing to exploit but was also capable of a great many powers that previous vampires did not necessarily possess. It is the dynamic of these two characters that allowed Dracula to function as a tale of good vs. evil.

Related Article: What Castlevania Looks Like as a First-Person Shooter

The benefits of this approach were not lost on Castlevania’s development team, who recognized that the idea of a vampire hunter vs. the world’s most feared vampire was a tremendous setup for an action game. They chose to use Dracula himself as the series’ main villain but refrained from having their game star Van Helsing. Instead, they created the very Van Helsing-like Simon Belmont, a member of a line of vampire hunters who must destroy Dracula when he rises every 100 years. Despite the fact that Simon’s primary weapon is a whip and Van Helsing never wielded one (that is most likely a reference to Indiana Jones), the two characters do share a fondness for wooden stakes, holy water, and killing vampires no matter what the risk.

Simon Belmont had to deal with a far wider variety of horrors than Van Helsing ever did, though. In his quest to reach the peak of Dracula’s castle and take down the lord of all vampires, Belmont encounters zombies, ghouls, skeletons, birds, and suits of armor. Even those are just the appetizers for the game’s boss fights, which feature game adaptations of some of horror’s most famous creations, like the Grim Reaper, the Mummy, and Frankenstein’s monster. The inclusion of these creatures feels surprisingly organic. After all, Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Wolfman, and the Mummy are all forever tied together by their film appearances during the Universal Studios golden age of horror films.

What's interesting about the inclusion of those iconic monsters in Castlevania and their shared legacy with the world's most famous vampire is that neither Stoker or anyone from his estate ever intended for Dracula to become part of film history at all. 

Bram Stoker may have wanted to see Dracula become a hit, but that did not come to pass during his time. Those that read the book at the time of its release could not stop praising it, but that didn't translate into incredible sales. Its eventual entry into the public conscience actually came as the result of the legal battle that ensued over the distribution of the 1922 film Nosferatu. The Stoker family won just enough money in the case to pay their legal fees, but copies of Nosferatumanaged to make it into theaters anyway. As for that famous 1931 adaptation of the book, Universal Studios found that it could avoid all legal troubles due to a clerical error during Dracula’s U.S. publishing that forced it to enter the public domain.

Because of the late success of Dracula (and other life occurrences), Stoker ended up going broke and died before ever knowing the full impact of his work. In desperation, his wife, Florence Balcombe, even ended up selling Stoker’s handwritten novel notes at a Sotheby’s auction in 1912. She received just over 2 pounds for them.

Related Article: Netflix's Castlevania - Easter Eggs and Reference Guide

It is appropriate that Castlevania would suffer a similar fate given how closely it follows the spirit and structure of Dracula. Castlevania was met with critical acclaim both at the time of its release and thereafter as well as the admiration of fans who were able to navigate past its brutal difficulty and appreciate its horrific charms and classic adventure sensibilities (like Dracula's original readers). The game's sales tell a slightly different tale, however. Castlevania sold well enough to justify two NES sequels, but its final ranking among the best-selling NES games is somewhere outside of the top 40 or 50, based on which figures from that time period you believe. 

Castlevania IIand III didn’t fare much better in that regard. Actually, it wasn’t until 1997’s Symphony of the Night that Castlevania as a franchise began to make a name for itself among those who were not fans from the beginning. Even then, that title's initial sales were underwhelming. Much like the 1931 film adaptation of Dracula, Symphony’s status as the boiling point of its source’s success is fascinating when you take into consideration that both works significantly altered the original material. Universal’s Dracula greatly simplified Stoker’s novel in order to turn it into a digestible film of the era, while Symphony of the Night adopted Metroid’s style of gameplay to reboot the franchise. Yet, both would go on to define the current legacy of their respective properties.

As for what Castlevania’s lead director Hitoshi Akamatsu thinks of that, it’s difficult to say. That’s due, in part, to the fact the original Castlevania featured joke credits used to pay homage to horror movie icons, meaning that Akamatsu’s place as the father of Castlevania has only been established by others. In any case, Akamatsu disappeared from the video game industry in the early ‘90s after working on the first three games. 

These details make it easy to label the gamer who romantically remembers Castlevania as the same immediate groundbreaking sensation that Dracula was to be a fool in two parts, but you must also remember that romanticism is nurtured by time. Time and perspective have allowed us to see that Castlevania and Dracula deserve to be remembered as historical companions due to their shared aesthetics, influences, and legacies. They are, in many ways that matter, one and the same.

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014.

Jake Rodkin, former project lead on The Walking Dead and director of Firewatch, has shared an incredibly strange ending for The Walking Dead's first season that he refers to as the game's "alternate ending."

"Alternate" is certainly one way to describe it. So far as most people can tell, this was an ending constructed by the Walking Dead team largely for the purposes of their own amusement. There's almost no chance that anyone involved with the development of this game ever thought that it would ever see the light of day outside of some blooper reel included with a special edition release of the game. 

However, we're certainly glad that it did see the light of day. The sequence in question doesn't seem to serve as the actual ending of The Walking Dead's first season, but it instead replaces the sequence towards the end of the first season which sees Lee work his way through a horde of zombies in order to reach Clementine. The original version of that sequence was a gut-wrenching emotional push that was amplified by the knowledge of Lee's impending fate. 

This version of that sequence is just a glorious piece of absurdity. It sees Lee engage in an exaggerated takedown of a zombie horde before donning the severed head of a zombie and dancing his way through the zombies that remain. He then jumps on the hood of a car and watches it flip high into the sky. None of it makes any sense whatsoever, but it does an oddly good job of capturing the creativity of the team that worked on The Walking Dead's first season. 

In that sense, it's also a somewhat tragic reminder of the talent that Telltale let walk, the studio's refusal to creatively grow over time, the mistreatment of the employees they did manage to bring on-board, and the company's executives refusal to recognize that their walls were built by creative minds. All of that contributed to the studio's eventual closure. 

Oh well...it's a funny ending. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

A recent blog post by Valve reveals that the Xbox 360 controller remains the most popular controller amongst Steam gamers.

Valve's surprisingly detailed findings reveal that about 60 million Steam users have paired their account with at least one controller peripheral (with many actually pairing their accounts with two or more controllers). Among Steam users that use a controller for their Steam games, a staggering 27.2 million (or 45% of total recorded users in that demographic) are using an Xbox 360 controller. The PlayStation 4 controller takes second place on the list (12.2 million users) with the  Xbox One controller coming in third (11.5 million users). 

The long-standing popularity of the Xbox 360 controller as a PC device is hardly surprising. It's an older controller, meaning that there's a very good chance that more people already have one and are not actually using it to play their Xbox 360. On top of that, it was one of the original controllers that Valve openly supported (meaning it's one of the best known supported controllers) and it's pretty easy to find one cheap these days. 

In that same sense, it's a little surprising that the PS3 controller isn't more popular (it is used by 4.1 million registered Steam accounts). However, Valve attributes the general popularity of Xbox controllers over PS controllers as PC devices to the fact that many games default to Xbox centric in-game control instructions. That being said, the incredible popularity of the PS4 makes it a popular choice among many modern Steam gamers. 

Rounding out the list under the "other" category are the Steam Controller and PC Gamepads (which are neck-and-neck in terms of popularity), the Switch Pro controller (which Valve says is becoming more popular amongst Steam users), the PS2 controller, and much less frequently used devices like the SNES controller, Rockband instruments, flight sticks, the GameCube controller, and "Everything Else."

We also now know that Valve has sold 1.3 million Steam Controllers. That's not an impressive number, but the fact that Steam Controller owners tend to play a greater variety of games is fairly interesting. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

On the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the original Castlevania's release in Japan, Konami has announced ports of two classic entries in the series for the PlayStation 4. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Rondo of Blood will be collected as Castlevania: Requiem, which is out on Oct. 26, the same day as the second season of Netflix's Castlevania animated series.

Castlevania: Requiem, which is exclusive to the PS4, will set you back $20. PlayStation Plus subscribers who pre-order the game will get a 20-percent discount off the price, while non-PS Plus subs who pre-order will get a 15-percent discount. 

"Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and its sequel, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, will be updated with modern game elements such as earning Trophies while keeping the fidelity of the musical score, boss battles and all the side-scrolling action that makes the Castlevania franchise an esteemed classic," Konami said in a press release.

Related Articles: 10 Best Castlevania Games Ever Made

It's not too surprising that Konami has chosen to re-release these specific entries. Rondo of Bloodand Symphony of the Night are two of the most beloved Castlevania games ever made. The former introduced fans to Richter Belmont, one of the youngest of a line of famous vampire hunters to face off against Dracula himself. Symphonycontinues Richter's story while also reintroducing Alucard, the son of Dracula, who first appeared in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, the game the Netflix show is based on.

Check out this notably short trailer for the collection below:

We probably don't need to remind Castlevania fans that this collection marks the first major release in the series since 2014's Lords of Shadow 2. Since that game's cold reception, Konami has kept fairly silent about the classic franchise until now. With these re-releases, could the company be testing the waters for the next proper Castlevania installment? We've not heard anything, but we'll let you know as soon as we hear anything about a return to Dracula's castle.

John Saavedra is Games Editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9. 

Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the next game in the famous Assassins' Creed franchise will take us to ancient Greece.  As revealed at E3 2018, Odyssey will follow the journey of a character that you choose (yes, you get to pick between two characters) who has been trained from a young age to be a great Greek warrior.

Due to the enhanced RPG elements of the game, you'll be able to grow the skills of your character in several ways. Want to be a better stealth assassin? You can do that. Wish your bow was more viable? Just level up your skill. It looks like there will be no shortage of ways to make the game's hero your own. 

Related Article: No New Assassin's Creed Game in 2019

What's especially interesting, though, is the way that those choices affect the game's narrative presentation. As shown at E3 2018, the game's story will actually feature things like dialogue choices that shape how this world and its people respond to your actions and decisions.

Visually, the game is an absolute stunner as the impressive engine and world design featured in Assassin's Creed Odysseymake a return and have seemingly been improved upon by the Ubisoft design team. 

Here's everything else we know about the game:

Assassin's Creed Odyssey Trailers

A new Assassin's Creed Odyssey trailer has arrived ahead of the game's October release date. Check it out below:

Another trailer premiered at Gamescom. Check it out below:

Related Article: How Assassin's Creed Was Born

Here are the other trailers revealed so far!

Assassin's Creed Odyssey Release Date

Assassin's Creed Odysseyis set to release for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on October 5.

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors.

Oculus is releasing a new version of their VR device in 2019. 

Dubbed the Oculus Quest, this headset will retail for $399, which is about $50 more expensive than the base Oculus Rift and about $200 more expensive than the Oculus Go. What do you get for that price? For starters, you get the most mobile Oculus headset yet. The Quest is wireless, comes with hand controllers, is a standalone device and allows for full positional tracking. 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (boo! boo that man!) noted the Quest features "the key attributes of the ideal VR system” and that he believes that "If we can bring these three qualities together in one product, we think that will be the foundation of a new generation of VR.”

That's a lofty goal, but you can kind of see where he coming from when you start breaking down the Quest's full package. The Oculus Quest has seemingly been designed from the ground up as a fully-functional VR gaming device like no other VR headset before it. Its wireless capabilities make it much more practical than most headsets, and features like the Quest's built-in speakers (a carry-over from the Go) mean that it's much more of an "all-in-one" kind of arrangement. 

The Quest's developers are promising a pretty astonishing 4,000 square feet of tracking space, which means that the Quest could theoretically allow a user to not only enjoy a little freedom of movement when they're using their devices, but it should allow developers to get a little more creative in terms of the immersive experiences they create via VR technology. After all, it's hard to buy into the idea that you're exploring a large virtual world when you're forced to stand in a relatively small space while you're doing so. 

We're not sure how powerful the Quest is yet, but it seems to be roughly on-par with the Rift. Even if it is less powerful, the expanded movement capabilities the design of the device offers should compensate for any minor technical shortcomings. We'll know for sure whether the Oculus Quest will inspire non-believers to try VR when the device is released sometime in the spring of 2019. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Insomniac's Spider-Man for PS4 is a very good game. Some would go so far as to call it great. This group apparently includes the Marvel executives who compare the game to the 2008 Iron Man film that kickstarted the now mythical - and unbelievably lucrative - Marvel Cinematic Universe. That comparison has naturally inspired some to consider the increasingly likely possibility that Marvel may use Spider-Man as the basis for a Marvel games universe. 

I sincerely believe that Spider-Man can be the foundation for a Marvel gaming universe. However, if Marvel is serious about such a universe succeeding, then the company needs to learn from the mistakes it made when creating its cinematic universe. 

When you look back at the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you quickly remember that things didn't really get cooking until the later phases. That doesn't mean that the movies in phase one were terrible. Iron Man was incredible, Captain America: The First Avenger was at least interesting, and The Avengers was revolutionary. However, phase one (and two) also contain some of the absolute worst MCU movies.

Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor: The Dark World...there is a quality that unites the creative failures of that time period in the MCU, and it is complacency. When Iron Man became a surprise critical and box office hit, Marvel undoubtedly took some time to think about what it had on its hands and why it worked. 

In the process, the studio did what every company on Earth does when it finds success: Marvel tried to replicate that success. Many of those early bad MCU movies suffered because they followed a formula of action, visual design, and dialogue/plot structure that resulted in diminishing returns. Marvel mistakenly believed that its name value and the name value of the characters who starred in these films were enough to keep the gravy train on its tracks. What the studio didn't seem to realize - or appreciate - at the time was that Iron Man was widely successful because it was different from comic book films that came before and because it was good. 

I mention this in relation to the theoretical Marvel games universe because it's already easy to see how Marvel could become complacent with what Spider-Man delivered. I really liked Spider-Man, but the reason I didn't necessarily love Spider-Man is that it played things very safe. Its core design was very similar to 2018's God of War in many respects, which was, itself, very similar to many other games released over the past few years. 

Large worlds, lots of side quests/collectibles, upgrade systems, gradual map unlocking -- all of these aspects can be good on their own, but the problem is that more and more developers are combining them in a very specific way that's resulted in the same basic product. Insomniac threw in a few special ingredients (the charms of Spider-Man, an excellent web-slinging system, a very good story), but the developer ultimately chose to adhere to a somewhat strict formula regardless of whether or not certain elements (radar towers, lengthy stealth sections, several upgrade options) really belonged in the game. 

It would be very easy for Marvel to point to Spider-Man and tell Insomniac - or another developer - "We want this game, but with Iron Man/but with Thor/but with Captain America/but with the Incredible Hulk." To Marvel's credit, those games would probably sell very well. After all, even most of the "bad" MCU movies performed well at the box office. What's going to eventually happen, though, is the same thing that happened with the MCU and what is currently happening to the DCEU (to a certain extent). Fans are going to start gradually mistrusting the value of the Marvel games universe if it starts to deliver experiences that are similar to -- but not as refreshing as -- the game that kicked the whole thing off. 

Fortunately, Marvel already knows the solution to this problem because it's already employed it to save the creative future of the MCU. The studio just needs to make sure that MGU games represent the voices of their creators.

Much like Taika Waititi lent Thor: Ragnarok an almost anime-like world and scale, let Devolver Digital produce a Deadpool game worthy of the hero's passion for the absurd. Much like James Gunn turned sharp dialogue and perfectly placed music into lethal weapons in Guardians of the Galaxy, let Naughty Dog make a Captain America game that captures the hero's almost film serial-like sense of adventure. Let Blizzard make an X-Men action game, let Ninja Theory take a stab at Daredevil, and let Epic Games have a crack at the Incredible Hulk. 

Marvel needs to give multiple studios the chance to leave their own creative mark on the Marvel games universe. Granted, that's a scary path that could lead to failure. We've seen Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite struggle, Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy prove to be something of a bust, and there's still that mysterious Square Enix Avengers project we're waiting to hear more about. There are reasons for Marvel to be wary of allowing multiple studios to pitch so many ideas.

However, just as movies like Black Panther, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Avengers: Infinity War set new standards for MCU excellency by reflecting a particular creator's skills and sensibilities, Marvel needs to trust other game studios the way that it trusted Insomniac. The company needs to believe that multiple, capable creative voices have more long-term value than the repetition of a formula. Otherwise, you get EA and Star Wars. 

I liked Insomniac's Spider-Man, but I hope I don't see too many future Marvel games like it. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Warner Bros and IO Interactive have officially revealed Hitman 2. As suspected, Hitman 2 is essentially a follow-up to the previous season of Hitman. However, IO Interactive indicated during the game's live stream reveal that the next Hitman will not follow the episodic format of the previous Hitman game. 

The game itself continues roughly where the last Hitman left off, as Agent 47 continues his pursuit of the mysterious Shadow Client. However, it seems that 47's mission will force him to confront some potentially unwelcome details about his own mysterious past. 

Mission-wise, the reveal and trailer teased a Miami mission that sees Agent 47 eliminate a race car driver by potentially manipulating his vehicle before the big race. Elsewhere, Warner Bros. and IO referenced "sun-drenched streets to dark and dangerous rainforests" as possible locations. As always, each of these missions will afford Agent 47 - and players - the chance to utilize multiple paths to victory and the opportunity to complete multiple objectives. 

Both Warner Bros. and IO Interactive expressed how excited they are to revive the Hitman series after it faced an uncertain future following Square Enix's decision to drop developer IO Interactive.

Here's everything else we know:

Hitman 2 News

Hitman 2 takes the action to the jungles of Colombia in a new trailer:

And here's a new gameplay trailer, too:

Hitman 2 Release Date

Hitman 2 arrives on Nov. 13, 2018. The game is coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. If you're interested in pre-ordering the game, you can find out more about Hitman 2's various editions by visiting this website. 

Hitman 2 Trailer

Hitman 2 will feature upgraded versions of the Hitman missions. 

As explained in the trailer above, developer IO Interactive will essentially be remaking Hitman within Hitman 2. All of the game's levels will be available in Hitman 2 and will benefit from the new features and technology included in the sequel. Through this, IO hopes to create a World of Assassination that binds the revived Hitman games. 

Best of all, anyone who owns the first season of Hitman will be able to access the remade original levels for free. Everyone else will need to download them as part of a DLC pack. 

The PC Gaming show at E3 2018 included a surprising look at Hitman 2's gameplay. While not a long preview, this trailer does confirm that Hitman 2 will continue the good work that the last game started. 

Check out the announcement trailer below:

New to the series is a co-op option called Sniper Assassin. This two-player mode sees players compete to take down a series of targets via the use of sniper rifles. It's not entirely clear what the extent of the competitive/cooperative nature of this game mode is, but we do know that players will also have the option of completing these sniper missions by themselves if they choose to do so. 

Here's the Sniper Assassin mode trailer:

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the next game from the studio that brought us Dark Souls. FromSoftware's new action game takes place during the Sengoku era of Japan. In it, you play a warrior who has set out on a dangerous quest to save his master from a powerful foe who the warrior and his mater have been battling for years. The warrior's loss of a ligament means that some of his weapons and abilities come in the form of exchangeable prosthetics. 

Regardless of what weapon you use, you'll have access to a resurrect ability that will let you instantly revive yourself upon death. This is a far cry from the Dark Soulsseries which often punished the player for death and used death as a way to teach the player how the game's mechanics - and the universe - really worked. It remains to be seen how Sekiro will retain the difficulty and mechanical mastery requirements of Dark Souls given that it sounds like the title won't treat death as quite the roadblock that it was in Dark Souls. 

We're still waiting to hear more about this game, but for now, here's everything else we know about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice:

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Trailer

A new trailer for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has arrived ahead of Tokyo Game Show. Check it out below:

And here's the debut trailer:

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Release Date

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is set to release on March 22, 2019, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. On that day, you'll be able to pick up the regular version of the game alongside a special Collector's Edition that includes a map, some art, coins, and a statue. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Bethesda has revealed that there are two new Wolfenstein games in development. The first is a title known as Wolfenstein: Youngblood. 

While this isn't the next mainline Wolfenstein game - there's still no word regarding whether or not we'll be treated to a Wolfenstein III - it is a fascinating "spin-off" of sorts that is primarily meant to be played as a co-op shooter. Yes, Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a co-op shooter that lets you play as B.J. Blazkowicz's daughters as they shoot their way through an alternate version of 1980's Paris. 

This does seemingly make Youngblood a pseudo-sequel to the events we saw in Wolfenstein II, but it's not entirely clear whether or not this game will touch upon the story threads that were left lingering by Wolfenstein II. Instead, it appears that this game will tell a story that more of its own. 

The good news is that Youngblood is being developed by the folks at Machine Games (who have been responsible for the modern Wolfenstein games we've enjoyed thus far) and that you'll be able to play it by yourself in some form if you aren't able to find a friend to stick with you until the end. It also seems like Machine Games is planning on releasing the game for major platforms sometime in 2019. 

We, unfortunately, know less about the other Wolfenstein game on the horizon, but we can tell you that it is a VR title called Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot where you play a hacker who is trying to turn the Nazis' own machinery against them. There's no word on when this game will be released or which VR platforms it will be available for. 

Even though we'd love to hear something about the next mainline Wolfensteingame, these projects look like fun deviations from the norm that should manage to kill the time until we get our hands on what figures to be the final game in the mainline Wolfensteinreboot series.

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

This is not a drill: The Elder Scrolls VI is officially in development! While we really wish that we had more information to share with you regarding the finer details of this game, we tragically do not. See, Bethesda's Pete Hines remarked that this isn't a game that is going to come out this year or even the next year. Instead, it's a title that they are working on that is somewhere on the horizon. 

However, that's really not the important detail of this story. What really matters is that Bethesda is, right now, working on a new Elder Scrolls game. Not Skyrim, not a Skyrim sequel, not a Skyrim spin-off, but a game that is actually being called The Elder Scrolls VI. At present, we have no reason to believe that this is not a proper single-player epic Elder Scrolls adventure in the style of classic Elder Scrolls experiences. 

Here's everything else we know about the game:

The Elder Scrolls 6 Trailer

Bethesda shared the first trailer for the game at E3 2018:

If you're really reaching for more information, you can try to figure out where the game will take place based on the teaser footage that we saw in the trailer. However, we have a feeling that nothing about that footage is anywhere close to being finalized. However, it does seem like we're leaving the snow-covered world of Skyrim for a more diverse climate that somewhat resembles the world seen in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. 

The Elder Scrolls 6 Release Date

No release date has been set for The Elder Scrolls 6. Expect a long wait for the next installment in Bethesda's coveted fantasy RPG series.

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Team Ninja is working on a sequel to their well-received Souls-like title, Nioh. In a way, it's not too surprising to hear that Team Ninja is working on a sequel to Nioh. After all, the game reportedly sold even better than they were expecting it to sell and performed especially well on PC where the developers had some worries regarding its ability to succeed. 

On the other hand, nothing leading up to E3 2018 suggested that Team Ninja was going to reveal a new Nioh game. After all, the original Nioh was released in February of 2017, so we're not that far removed from the franchise's debut. 

Here's your first look at Nioh 2:

We get the impression that there still might be quite a bit of work to do on Nioh 2 considering that Team Ninja didn't showcase any gameplay from the sequel or revealed any details regarding what we can expect from the upcoming game. However, we'd be a little surprised to hear that it will differ too wildly from the original game given its relatively quick turnaround time and the fact that the first game didn't demand too many improvements. 

Story-wise, it's entirely possible that Nioh 2 will pick up relatively close to where Nioh left off, but it's not too much of a stretch to suggest that the game could go in a new direction entirely given that the story of the first game was clearly not specifically intended to be picked up at a later date. 

Regardless, it's enough to know that Team Ninja is working on a new Nioh game given that the original title was a pretty fully-realized take on the Dark Souls concept. While there's still a lot we need to learn about this game, we're very excited to learn more about Nioh 2 as it nears its 2019 PS4 release date.

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

The Nintendo Switch is getting a Mario Party of its very own. As shown during Nintendo's direct stream, Super Mario Party looks like about what you'd expect from a Mario Party game at this point. There's room for multiple players (four appears to again be the max), there are dice rolls that move you across a board, and there are minigames that you encounter as you hit certain points in the game. 

One new thing we did spot in the announcement trailer, though, is the way that these games will work. We see that it appears you'll be able to use multiple Switch screens to form a battlefield for some of the minigames, but it's not clear at this time whether or not you'll be required to utilize multiple consoles in order to play those minigames. We'd guess that isn't the case, though. 

Further Reading: 20 Super Mario Platformers Ranked

Generally speaking, it does look like the minigames featured in Super Mario Party are a bit more involved than some of the minigames that we've seen from the series in the past. The trailer indicates that the Switch is going to use all of the console's control options and portability in order to maximize the variety of minigame experiences. Obviously, that includes motion controls, but it's interesting to see how the portability of the Switch is accounted for in some of the minigames that we've seen thus far. 

The question now is whether or not Super Mario Party will be able to make up for some of the deficiencies of recent titles in the series by curbing the extreme randomness that the games have come to rely on and by tweaking new mechanics to ensure that you'll be able to actually play those awesome minigames more often during the play of the board game part of the experience. 

Here's hoping that the variety of minigames showcased during the initial preview is a good indication of how Super Mario Party will improve the series. Check out what else we know about the game:

Super Mario Party Trailer

Check out the new trailer that premiered during September's Nintendo Direct:

And here's the debut trailer:

Further Reading: The Underrated Brilliance of Super Mario Land

Super Mario Party Release Date

Super Mario Party will arrive on Oct. 5. It's coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch.

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014.

It turns out that a secret project from Remedy known as P7 is actually a new game called Control. 

Shown during the PlayStation E3 2018 conference, Control is the next game from the developers responsible for Max Payne, Alan Wake, and Quantum Break. The game is being billed as a supernatural action title that follows the new director of a secretive agency in New York. After an unexplainable threat invades our world, you must help humanity regain control. 

Based on what we saw in the trailer, it feels like Control's gameplay is going to feature the use of some pseudo-psychic abilities that kind of remind us of the gameplay featured in the cult classic action title, Psi-Ops. However, it does seem that there is some traditional gameplay sprinkled throughout the game. 

What really excites us about this game, though, are the implications of its plot. The trailer gave off some serious Inceptionvibes with winks and nods that this agency has mastered a series of rituals that allow them to "keep traveling deeper" and manipulate reality itself. We're fascinated to see what, exactly, this agency has stumbled upon and how it has led to some of the events that we see in the trailer. 

As anyone who followed Remedy over the years knows, the developers excel at creating atmospheric experiences, and the first footage of Control suggests that's exactly what this game is going to focus on. It certainly doesn't hurt that the action itself looks far more involved than the combat in games like Alan Wake. Actually, it looks like this title is going for the horror vibes of that classic. 

Control is set to release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC at an unknown date. 

Age of Empires IV is finally on the way!

Microsoft has passed off development duties of the famous real-time strategy game to Relic Entertainment, creators of the Dawn of War franchise. What Relic Entertainment have in mind for the franchise is truly anyone's guess. The above reveal trailer only serves as a stylish confirmation that the game is in development. It showcases war throughout various time periods and regions which is, creatively speaking, in-line with the standards of the series thus far. 

Of course, some people are a bit worried that Relic Entertainment might not be the premier name in strategy game design that they used to be. Dawn of War III was berated by many longtime fans for its changes to the franchise formula as well as for some of the features it lacked in comparison to previous Dawn of War games. 

Still, Relic Entertainment's library contains far more hits than misses, and there is a timeless quality to the Age of Empires franchise which has helped ensure that the original titles remain some of the most popular strategy games in the world. There's a great chance that this will be the Age of Empires game you've been waiting for. 

Here's everything else we know about the game:

Age of Empires 4 Release Date

Age of Empires IV doesn't have a release date at this time. The game will arrive on PC.

Age of Empires 4 Trailer

Here's the first trailer:

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Since its N64 debut, the Super Smash Bros. series has been one of Nintendo's most beloved properties. What began as a simple amusement that pitted some of Nintendo's best characters against each other in a brawler fighting game has become an institution. Everyone from casual Nintendo console owners to hardcore fighting fans has fond memories of waging war across Smash Bros. many levels. 

Now, Smash Bros. Ultimate is preparing to make its debut on the Nintendo Switch. Following the success of Super Smash Bros. Wii U - a game that grew to include one of the most incredible rosters in fighting game history - expectations are high for the next entry in the long-running franchise. If Nintendo's history with highly-anticipated Switch titles is any indication, though, then we fully expect this will be a special title that will boast a truly impressive collection of playable characters. 

Here is everything we know about Super Smash Bros. for Switch:

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Release Date

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will arrive on Dec. 8, 2018. The game is coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch. 

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Trailer

Nintendo fully unveiled Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at E3 2018. Here's the full, 25-minute announcement video:

The game was first teased in a Nintendo Direct earlier this year. Check it out below:

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Characters

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will feature every single character who has ever appeared in the series, including Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid, Ryu from Street Fighter, and Cloud from Final Fantasy. That means that the game will boast a roster of over 60 characters!

Here's the full list of fighters:

• Bayonetta
• Bowser
• Bowser Jr.
• Captain Falcon
• Charizard
• Chrom
• Cloud
• Corrin
• Daisy
• Dark Pit
• Dark Samus
• Diddy Kong
• Donkey Kong
• Dr. Mario
• Duck Hunt
• Falco
• Fox
• Ganondorf
• Greninja
• The Ice Climbers
• Ike
• Ivysaur
• Jigglypuff
• King Dedede
• King K. Rool
• Kirby
• Link
• Little Mac
• Lucario
• Lucas
• Lucina
• Luigi
• Mario
• Marth
• Mega Man
• Meta Knight
• Mewtwo
• Mii Brawler
• Mii Gunner
• Mii Fighter
• Mr. Game & Watch
• Ness
• Captain Olimar
• Pac-Man
• Palutena
• Peach
• Pichu
• Pikachu
• Pit
• Pokémon Trainer
• R.O.B. the robot
• Richter Belmont
• Ridley
• Robin
• Rosalina
• Roy
• Ryu
• Samus
• Sheik
• Shulk
• Simon Belmont
• Snake
• Sonic
• Splatoon Inklings
• Squirtle
• Toon Link
• Villager
• Wario
• Wii Fit Trainer
• Wolf
• Yoshi
• Young Link
• Zelda
• Zero Suit Samus

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9. 

Cyberpunk 2077 will be CD Projekt Red's first game outside The Witcher universe, and its first foray into science fiction. Based on the Cyberpunk series of tabletop games, it is, as its name suggests, inspired by the pioneers of the cyberpunk subgenre - namely William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. We can therefore expect plenty of cyborgs, AI, benighted cities, and scary corporations.

While Cyberpunk 2077's very different in setting from The Witcher, we'll see the same mature themes and unforgiving difficulty level in this new outing.

"The Witcher helped Cyberpunk quite a bit, because the game got so big and so complex that it really taught us,” visual effects artist Jose Teixeira told MCV. “If anything, working on The Witcher 3 was a really good and often brutal learning experience. Cyberpunk is going to benefit greatly from it. I can almost guarantee it."

Here's everything else we know about the game:

Cyberpunk 2077 News

CD Projekt Red has just unveiled our first look at gameplay from Cyberpunk 2077! Check it out here:

The studio also showed off new concept art for Cyberpunk 2077 at Gamescom 2018. Check it out in the gallery below:

Image 1 of 8

Cyberpunk 2077 Release Date

Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't have a release date at the moment. The game is coming to XBO, PS4, PC.

Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer

The official E3 2018 trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 showcases a more playful and lively vibe for the game than we were expecting to see. Expected or not, the game looks incredible. 

Here's the first teaser trailer from 2013:

Cyberpunk 2077 Details

Adam Kiciński, president of CD Projekt Red, recently shared a little more information about Cyberpunk 2077. 

Along with the usual comments regarding how Cyberpunk 2077 is a very technologically ambitious game, Kiciński stated that the team is theoretically "ready to interface with future generations" of gaming hardware. He also noted that the game will allow players to create their own characters and choose between various character classes. Previously, it had been suggested that the game wouldn't utilize RPG character classes. 

While Kiciński noted that the team is focused on delivering a single-player experience above all, he did note that the team is still interested in utilizing some kind of online component. Kiciński wouldn't confirm, though, whether or not the studio is considering adding some kind of competitive multiplayer mode to the game or something a little different. However, the team does not plan to add any microtransactions to the game if it does end up featuring some kind of multiplayer option. 

Finally, it doesn't sound like there are any plans in place for a Switch version of Cyberpunk 2077. Sorry, Nintendo fans. 

CD Projekt Red also spoke briefly about the scope of the upcoming sci-fi RPG at a seminar (via PCGamer). As the developer has said before, Cyberpunk 2077 will be much bigger than The Witcher 3, which is itself a HUGE fantasy RPG.

"Cyberpunk is our new Witcher 3, but even more ambitious," CD Projekt CEO Adam Kicinski said. "Our goal is to establish a new blockbuster franchise from the beginning. We work [in a] new universe, futuristic universe. We believe it's very appealing to players, not only RPG players — but this is [a] true RPG, like Witcher, like Witcher 3, for mature audiences. It's handcrafted, detailed, of course, open-world, with open-ended gameplay.

Additional rumors have emerged which suggest that Cyberpunk 2077 might take place in a "living city" that functions on its own accord regardless of whether or not the player is actively involved in a certain area or not. The actions of this city will apparently be governed by a complex series of AI rules that will allow for developer CD Projekt Red to maintain the illusion of a truly dynamic world.  

Furthermore, Cyberpunk 2077 may very well feature a complex multiplayer mode that involves the use of several technological tools and grants the developers have apparently applied for. When PC Gamer reached out to the developers for comment, they were told that CD Projekt Red have been applying for such tools but are not able to elaborate on their functionality at this time. 

In a post on CD Projekt Red's forums, the developers not only assured fans that the game is still being worked on, but revealed a rather shocking figure concerning the resources they are pouring into it. 

According to the forum post made by the development team, there are "more game developers working on Cyberpunk 2077 than on The Witcher 3 in its most intensive month." While the developer didn't reveal the exact number of developers currently working on the game, previously revealed figures regarding the development of The Witcher 3 suggest that the game was worked on by over 240 staff developers and over 1,500 people in general. 

Interestingly enough, the careers page of CD Projekt Red's website suggests that they are still looking to fill somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 positions devoted exclusively to the development of Cyberpunk 2077.

While it's clear that the developer's work on the upcoming standalone Gwent game isn't hindering their focus as it concerns completing Cyberpunk 2077, there is a bit of bad news that accompanies this information. We still don't know exactly when Cyberpunk 2077 is going to be released, and its absence from last year's E3 suggests that it's not likely to debut until sometime after E3 2018 at the very earliest.

Either way, it's still very likely that you've got enough uncompleted side missions in The Witcher 3 to keep you occupied until the game debuts.

“Cyberpunk is far bigger than anything else that CD Projekt Red has done before,” visual effects artist Jose Teixeira told MCV. “Far, far bigger. We're really stepping into the unknown in terms of complexity and size and problems we encounter.”

Following a statement by developer CD Projekt Red regarding Cyberpunk's online elements and their "games as a service" approach, the studio has stepped forward to clarify that they do not currently intend to add microtransactions to the game. 

"Worry not," reads a post on the studio's Twitter account. "When thinking CP2077, think nothing less than TW3 [The Witcher 3] — huge single player, open world, story-driven RPG. No hidden catch, you get what you pay for — no bullshit, just honest gaming like with Wild Hunt. We leave greed to others."

It's still unclear what the games as service comment applies to, but it could just be a comment related to the possibility that Cyberpunk may feature expanded online modes. That makes sense given that the game is based on modern and futuristic technology as opposed to The Witcher 3's fantasy setting.

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9.