By Andrew Dodson on October 22, 2015 at 12:40am
The world for the popular card game "Netrunner" by Fantasy Flight is making the jump to the mobile platform - but not in the way you'd expect. Rather than digitizing the card game experience, Legacy Games is taking the setting from that universe and turning it into an RPG.
For the uninitiated, "Netrunner" is a cyberpunk game where one player works as a runner (essentially a hacker) and the other player works as a corporation. Both have very different play-styles, but both have the same goal - scoring agendas. And both sides rely on bluffing, deception and a lot of strategy to achieve those goals. The universe for the popular game is a cyberpunk noir-type of setting riddled with shadowy figures, mysterious murders and a blurry line between the real and the virtual.
Despite being a super futuristic game based on hacking billion-dollar corporations, robotics, cloning, asteroid mining and...just about every sci-fi trope you can think of, this will be the first time that the Android-universe has left the tabletop and entered the digital world.
Legacy Games producer Jamar Graham spoke with VentureBeat about what they're going for with this attempt at the "Android" universe.
“What we like about the Android: Netrunner game is the story, the characters, and the art. It has such high production values. There is so much depth in the game and other Android titles and novels, that we want to live in that world.”
Jamar Graham, Legacy Games producer
To help bring the game to life, Legacy Games knew they would have to bring an interesting story to the table and to accomplish that, they tapped the writer behind the phenomenal game "80 Days" - Meg Jayanth.
“She’s going to help us write the basic story outline and help us get the direction of the story. We feel like the narrative is the most important part of why we’re doing this. We want to tell a good story, and it’s something that mobile free-to-play isn’t doing.”
Jamar Graham, Legacy Games producer
So far, this game has an interesting setting and potential for a really good story but what will the actual game-play be like? Jamar Graham has stated that they're making the game to be an action-RPG, mentioning "Diablo" and "Star Wars: Uprising" as examples. The player will actually navigate their avatar through different Corporation's ICEs (defenses against hacking) in order to progress.
The game will be free-to-play upon release, and will have micro-transactions and that has already raised cries of "pay-to-win" from critics. Legacy Games is striving to avoid that stigma by introducing a micro-transaction mechanic that lets players make purchases that benefit the player's group and not just the individual.
It's important to note that while this is set in the same universe as "Netrunner" it is not an attempt to digitize the card game. This is it's own separate story with unique gameplay and it's simply set in that setting.
The game is due to hit mobile platforms next year.
Legacy Games
