CD Projekt's eagerly awaited sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, codenamed Project Orion, remains shrouded in mystery, yet Cyberpunk's visionary creator, Mike Pondsmith, has tantalizingly dropped some fresh insights. Pondsmith, who played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of the blockbuster Cyberpunk 2077, which sold over 30 million copies, shared these tidbits at the Digital Dragons 2025 conference when asked about his involvement in Project Orion.
Although Pondsmith's role in the sequel is less hands-on than before, he still reviews scripts and recently visited CD Projekt to get a firsthand look at the ongoing development. He recounted, "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 highlight of Pondsmith's revelations was the confirmation that Project Orion will introduce a brand new city alongside the familiar Night City from Cyberpunk 2077. He described this new metropolis as "like Chicago gone wrong." In his words, "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 dystopian city with the essence of Chicago, rather than a literal future version of the city itself.
Speculation abounds on whether the sequel will expand upon the existing Night City or introduce an entirely new iteration, and the extent to which players can explore these environments. While many details remain under wraps, it appears that Project Orion might boast two fully realized, explorable cities.
Every CD Projekt Red Game In Development
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While CD Projekt is currently channeling its efforts into The Witcher 4, a new studio in Boston is dedicated to Project Orion. Earlier this year, CD Projekt revealed that 84 out of its 707 employees are working on Project Orion, which is still in the conceptual stage. With much still to be determined, fans shouldn't hold their breath for an imminent release.
In other news, a new Cyberpunk animation project is in the works for Netflix, following the success of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Additionally, in the nearer future, Cyberpunk 2077 is set to make its debut on the Nintendo Switch 2.
