While sequels that are better than the original are rare in Hollywood, they’re a lot more common in gaming.
The Last of Us 2, God of War Ragnarok, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Uncharted 2, and Half-Life 2 are just a few examples of arguably superior follow-ups. Next up, it could be Cyberpunk 2077’s turn.
In October 2022, developer CD Projekt Red (CDPR) confirmed what many fans were eagerly hoping for: a sequel to its twisted sci-fi saga. Since then, it has been drumming up hype for the next chapter, including a recent tease of a new feature that was missing from the first game.
After a barnstorming comeback that saw Cyberpunk go from an infamous flop to a celebrated modern classic, the Polish studio certainly has the catalyst it needs to make another masterpiece.
CDPR’s knack for creating awesome follow-ups was evident in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - but can it repeat the feat with its return to Night City? Here’s what we know about the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel.
The next Cyberpunk is officially a go
Taking to X, Cyberpunk 2077’s quest director PaweÅ Sasko and narrative director Igor SarzyÅski recently revealed that work had officially begun on the sequel at the new Boston studio that we previously learned would serve as its production hub.
Summing up the studio’s glee, Sarzynski stated: “I couldn't be more excited for this project and I'm sure we can make it something special. 2077 was just a warm-up.”
At this very early stage, the new game doesn’t have an official title - although it’s known internally as Project Orion.
Orion is a codename for our next Cyberpunk game, which will take the Cyberpunk franchise further and continue harnessing the potential of this dark future universe. pic.twitter.com/JoVbCf6jYZ
— CD PROJEKT RED (@CDPROJEKTRED) October 4, 2022
Cyberpunk 2077 sequel release date
Even though roughly three years have passed since the release of Cyberpunk 2077, the sequel is still a long way off. To give you an idea of the wait, these days the best AAA games can take more than five years to develop, with costs spiraling into the hundreds of millions.
Speaking to Reuters on January 22, CDPR’s joint CEO Adam Badowski said Orion was in the conceptual phase, and around 80 people would be working on it by the end of the year.
In an indication of how early we are in its creation, that number is just a tiny fraction of the 3,545 people that were credited on Cyberpunk 2077.
Right now, it seems that the studio’s priority is the next Witcher game anyway. Preparatory work has reportedly begun on the new title, codenamed Polaris, with a multiplayer Witcher spinoff and a Witcher 1 remake also on the cards.
Will the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel have multiplayer?
The good news is patient fans will be rewarded with at least one major new addition over the original. Badowski said CDPR was considering including multi-player elements in the sequel, but he stopped short of discussing the details.
For anyone who was expecting the original Cyberpunk to be a true GTA rival, the lack of multiplayer was probably a massive letdown. Tearing up Night City with your pals sounds like an absolute dream. Heck, it was even supposed to be in the original but fell to the wayside as CDPR focused on the game’s single-player narrative after a bug-ridden launch.
Getting the best of both worlds, a solid story for solo players along with a fully fleshed-out multiplayer mode, would be a thrilling prospect indeed.
