It is hard to believe that it was back in October 2022 when the highly anticipated sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 was confirmed, but with the second installment having a lot to live up to, it is no wonder that CD Projekt RED is taking things slow when it comes to its development. As such, there is not much we know about Cyberpunk 2, but there is one thing we do know and that is that the sequel will feature a second city alongside Night City, which will “feel like Chicago gone wrong.”
This information was revealed by none other than Cyberpunk’s original creator Mike Pondsmith, who shared news on the potential second Cyberpunk 2077 setting back in May 2025. Speaking at Digital Dragons 2025, Pondsmith, the founder of Talsorian Games, was asked about the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, which is currently codenamed Project Orion. Although he is not as involved in the sequel as he was with the original, he is still keeping track of its progress, and as such, he had some interesting information to share.
“I’m not as involved directly, but I see the scripts,” Pondsmith shared. “Last week I was wandering around talking to different departments and seeing what they had like, ‘This is the new Cyberware, what do you think?’
“I spent a lot of time talking to one of the environment guys, and he was explaining how the new place… because there’s another city that we visit, and I’m not telling you anymore than that, but there’s another city that we visit. Night City is still there.”
“I remember looking at it and going, ‘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’.”
Night City is widely regarded as one of the best settings in video game history, and so focusing on a second city may make or break the sequel. As such, fans took to r/LowSodiumCyberpunk to discuss the possibilities, with one user admitting, “I like that we’re going to a new city, but it feels too soon.”
The discussion racked up over 150 comments, so it is safe to say that Cyberpunk 2077 fans have their own opinions about what a second city could mean for the sequel. Is it too ambitious or are we due to move on from Night City already? “He did say that Night City will be in it as well. Might be more like The Witcher 3 with multiple maps,” one user suggested. It could make sense to allow the player to navigate to cities beyond Night City, especially as the rest of a dystopian America awaits. However, another user pointed out an interesting tidbit when they shared, “Supposedly there is a train or something that goes to Chicago in CP2077. In a street ad. It might be after you get back after the two years.”
It is worth noting that Pondsmith’s comments have not been confirmed by CD Projekt RED itself and, as mentioned, there is little we do know about the highly anticipated sequel. However, courtesy of Twitter user Synth Potato, there are a few things we know about Project Orion. We know that the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel will not launch until 2028 at the earliest, and at the time of writing, 135 employees are currently working on the project at CD Projekt RED. Other than that, we remain in the dark when it comes to one of the most anticipated sequels of all time, but there is no denying that CDPR has a lot to live up to in order to beat the masterpiece that is Cyberpunk 2077.
- Released
-
December 10, 2020
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Engine
-
REDengine 4
