Besides Night City, Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel Features A New Location That Feels Like "Chicago Gone Wrong"

The original creator of the Cyberpunk universe, Mike Pondsmith, has recently shared some details about the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, codenamed Project Orion, which is under development at CD Projekt Red. 

During the Digital Dragons 2025 broadcast (spotted by Polish magazine CD-Action), when asked if he had been asked to be involved in the development of the sequel (around the 3-hour 45-minute mark), Pondsmith said he was "not involved directly" but had seen the scripts and wandered around to talk to various departments and see what they had. "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, and I'm not telling you anymore than that."

"Night City is still there," he continued, "but I remember looking at [the new location] and going, 'Yeah, I understand the feel that you're going for, and this really does work. It doesn't feel like Blade Runner, it feels more like Chicago gone wrong'. And I said, 'Yeah, I can see this working.'"

Ever since Project Orion was announced in October 2022, CDPR has remained tight-lipped about its content. What we know is that it's being created using Unreal Engine 5 by its newly founded North American division, which has offices in both Vancouver and Boston, and the core development team has been relocating from Poland to the US. The company's financial reports have provided updates on the development progress, indicating that it entered the research and development phase in 2024. 

Moreover, the job listings have provided us with a sneak peek at what to expect from the sequel. The lead encounter designer's responsibility states that this role will work with the design team to "create the most realistic and reactive crowd system in any game to date." Earlier last year, a specialist position was published, and the role will be responsible for meticulously crafting quests, communities, and open-world events.