"Project Orion: Night City and a 'Chicago Gone Wrong' Revealed by Mike Pondsmith"

CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, codenamed Project Orion, remains shrouded in mystery, yet Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith has offered some tantalizing glimpses into the project's development.

Pondsmith, who collaborated closely with CD Projekt on the blockbuster Cyberpunk 2077 and played a key role in its promotion leading up to the 2020 release, shared insights about his involvement with Project Orion at the Digital Dragons 2025 conference. He revealed that while his involvement this time is less hands-on, he still reviews scripts and has visited CD Projekt to observe the ongoing development.

“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.’ "

“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 imply a city with the essence of a dystopian Chicago, rather than confirming a future Chicago setting. The exact nature of this new city remains to be seen.

There's ongoing speculation about whether the sequel will expand on the existing Night City or introduce a new version, and how extensive the gameplay in these cities will be. While much remains uncertain, it appears that Project Orion might include two fully realized, playable cities.

Every CD Projekt Red Game In Development

View 8 ImagesCurrently, CD Projekt's primary focus is on The Witcher 4, but they've established a new studio in Boston dedicated to Project Orion. Earlier this year, CD Projekt disclosed that 84 out of its 707 employees are working on Project Orion, which is still in the concept stage. Given its early development, significant changes are possible, and a release is not anticipated in the near future.

Additionally, a new Cyberpunk animation project is in the works for Netflix, following the success of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. In the nearer future, Cyberpunk 2077 is slated for release on the Nintendo Switch 2.