We still don’t know much about the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel currently in the works at CD Projekt Red. Development on the RPG, code-named “Orion,” is in full swing after the studio wrapped support for the original game last year, but the team is still keeping most details about it under wraps, other than a few informal quotes here and there about the vibe it’s trying to capture. However, Mike Pondsmith, the creator of the Cyberpunk tabletop roleplaying game, which first debuted in 1988, has revealed a pretty important piece of information: Alongside returning to the capitalist hellscape of Night City, the sequel will take us to another city as well.
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Speaking to Polish gaming channel tvgry at the Digital Dragons Conference in Poland, Pondsmith talked a little about the upcoming game, revealing that “Orion” will take place at least partially, though not entirely, in Night City. He described some talks he had with the CD Projekt Red team, and said that while he’s not as involved in the sequel as he was with 2077, he can say that the game will feature a second city that is “more like Chicago gone wrong.”
“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,” Pondsmith said. “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.’”
Assuming Pondsmith is being careful with his words here, this doesn’t explicitly mean Cyberpunk’s next game is set in Chicago specifically, which does still exist in the universe. He describes the new location as being “like” the city, so it’s probably not the Illinois metropolis itself, and as of yet, it’s unclear in what ways the new setting will resemble Chicago. In its infrastructure? Its culture? Unbearably cold winters? We’ll find out eventually.
What I’m curious about is how much of a divide there will be between this new city and the Night City we know and love. I know exploring an old map in an open-world game might not sound that exciting, but Night City is still one of the most well-realized cities I’ve ever explored in a game, and I imagine CDPR isn’t too keen to just throw all that work away if there are still stories to tell. I’m also wondering if the studio will include some kind of choice import to have the story of 2077’s merc protagonist V referenced in the sequel according to your decisions. I don’t need a cameo from the guy, but I wouldn’t mind a drink at the Afterlife bar paying tribute to his big space heist at the end of the game.
