LOS ANGELES—After being revealed as a character in the upcoming video game Cyberpunk 2077, actor Keanu Reeves took the stage at Xbox’s E3 2019 press conference to confirm the game’s PC and console release date: April 16, 2020.

“I’ve got to talk to you about something,” Reeves said to a roaring crowd after his surprise appearance. “CD Project Red, a while back, they approached me and asked me to be part of their project.” After describing the studio’s sales pitch about a massive quest, Reeves explained why he joined the project: “I’m always drawn to fascinating stories.”

He then gestured to a monitor that showed a brand-new “live gameplay” trailer, as opposed to the cinematic trailer that had revealed Reeves’ involvement. The latter was a whirlwind presentation of combat and futuristic Los Angeles encounters, along with a hint of a new interface that saw the game’s main character, V, warp from a bizarre, ice-filled bathtub into a virtual, all-white world that looked like a pathway to computer-connected worlds.

The cinematic trailer, meanwhile, pulled its perspective away from real-time first-person combat. This trailer starred a male version of the lead character V (you can make the character male or female in the final game, and customize him/her to a great extent), and he faces off against previously revealed villain Dex while flashing back to the tragic loss of his ally Jackie (who also appeared in last year’s impressive 2018 sequence).

This impressive battle begins with V tearing off one foe’s limbs, then having his own limbs disabled by another. He eventually submits to an apparent death, only to black out and wake up in a Los Angeles valley where a long-haired, sunglasses-wearing man picks you up and says, “Wake the fuck up, samurai. We have a city to burn.” This character, if you’re wondering, is Reeves, down to his digital look and voice acting.

We’re looking forward to more time with Cyberpunk 2077 at an E3 behind-closed-doors presentation later this week.

Listing image by CD Projekt Red

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