CD Projekt's Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, codenamed Project Orion, remains shrouded in mystery, yet Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith has tantalizingly revealed some fresh insights. Pondsmith, who played a significant role in the development and promotion of the original game that sold 30 million copies, shared his involvement in Project Orion during the Digital Dragons 2025 conference.
While Pondsmith admitted to being less hands-on with Project Orion, he still reviews scripts and has visited CD Projekt to assess their ongoing efforts. He recounted his recent visit, saying, "Last week I was wandering around talking to different departments, and seeing what they had, 'Oh look, this is the new cyberware, what do you think?' 'Oh yeah, that’s pretty good, that works here.'"
The most intriguing detail Pondsmith disclosed was the introduction of a new city in the sequel, in addition to the familiar Night City from Cyberpunk 2077. He described this new city as "like Chicago gone wrong." Elaborating on his discussions with the environment team, Pondsmith noted, "I spent a lot of time talking to one of the environment guys, and he was explaining how the new place in Orion, because there’s another city we visit — I’m not telling you any more than that but there’s another city we visit. And Night City is still there. But I remember looking at it and going, yeah I understand the feel you’re going for this, and this really does work. And it doesn’t feel like Blade Runner, it feels more like Chicago gone wrong. I said, ‘Yeah, I can see this working.’"
It's important to clarify that Pondsmith's remarks suggest a city with the ambiance of a dystopian Chicago, not necessarily a future version of Chicago itself. This has sparked discussions about whether the sequel will expand on Night City or introduce an entirely new version, and the extent to which these cities will be playable. While much remains uncertain, it appears that Project Orion could feature two fully developed, playable cities.
Every CD Projekt Red Game In Development
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Currently, CD Projekt's primary focus is on The Witcher 4, but they've established a new studio in Boston dedicated to Project Orion. Earlier this year, it was revealed that 84 out of CD Projekt's 707 employees are working on Project Orion, which is still in its conceptual stages. Given its early development, significant changes are possible, and a release is not expected soon.
In addition to the sequel, there's a new Cyberpunk animation project in the works for Netflix, following the success of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. In the near future, Cyberpunk 2077 is slated to launch on the Nintendo Switch 2.
