CD Projekt's eagerly awaited sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, known as Project Orion, remains shrouded in mystery, yet Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith has recently dropped tantalizing hints about new developments.
Pondsmith, who was instrumental in the development and promotion of the original Cyberpunk 2077, which sold an impressive 30 million copies, shared insights into his role with Project Orion during the Digital Dragons 2025 conference. He revealed that while his involvement is less extensive this time, he still plays a crucial part by reviewing scripts and visiting CD Projekt to observe the ongoing work.
During one of his recent visits, Pondsmith shared an anecdote about his interactions with the development team: "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 revelation from Pondsmith was the introduction of a brand new city in Project Orion, in addition to the familiar Night City. He described this new setting as "like Chicago gone wrong." In a detailed conversation with one of the environment designers, Pondsmith learned more about this new urban landscape: "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 comments suggest a city with the ambiance of a dystopian Chicago, rather than an actual future Chicago. This leaves room for speculation on whether the sequel will expand on the existing Night City or introduce an entirely new, playable urban environment. The possibility of two distinct cities in Project Orion adds an exciting layer of depth to the game's setting.
Every CD Projekt Red Game In Development
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While CD Projekt is primarily focused on The Witcher 4, they have established a new studio in Boston dedicated to Project Orion. Earlier this year, it was reported that 84 out of CD Projekt's 707 employees were working on Project Orion, which is still in its conceptual stage. Given this, fans should not expect the game to be released anytime soon.
In addition to Project Orion, CD Projekt is also involved in a new Cyberpunk animation project set to debut on Netflix, following the success of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. In the near future, Cyberpunk 2077 is slated to launch on the Nintendo Switch 2, further expanding its reach to a broader audience.
