The Cyberpunk 2077 (opens in new tab) tour reaches beyond the city limits today as developer CD Projekt Red gives us a look at the Badlands.
The Badlands are where we see the true extent of the ecological devastation that has wrecked our world between now and 2077. Dry, cracked plains stretch for miles, studded by oil fields, junkyards, and small settlements. Gangs of Nomads live their lives beyond and beneath the notice of the Night City authorities, but that doesn’t mean nothing big happens out there.
If you pick the Nomad life path (opens in new tab) in character creation, the Badlands are where your story will begin.
Sparsely populated by Nomads, the Badlands are the vast plains outside of the city proper. Unchecked resource extraction, burning oil fields, rampant pollution; this district makes Night City feel like a rich oasis. But it holds golden opportunities for those in the know. pic.twitter.com/4hGJ9SQVjqJuly 22, 2020
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The four pieces of concept art for the Badlands show us different faces of the region: the first depicts an encampment studded with radar dishes and a bonfire in the distance. The next two images both put the Badlands in the context of Night City, and I especially like how the third image shows us the infrastructure of greenhouses and solar farms around the city.
The final image is just straight up Mad Max but with glowing tattoos. We seem to be looking at an encampment of the Wraiths gang, who employ such catchy slogans as “United in Exile”, “No Regrets”, and “I’m Gonna F#$% Your Entire S%#$ Family”. At least they’re wearing their masks and sticking to social distancing.
Previous pieces of Cyberpunk 2077 concept art have given us a look at a weird dog in its home of Heywood (opens in new tab), the high-tech City Center and polluted Santo Domingo (opens in new tab), and way-too-rich Westbrook (opens in new tab).