Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel features a second city that ‘feels like Chicago gone wrong’, reveals creator
Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith suggests the next game will feature multiple cities
The creator of the Cyberpunk IP has revealed that CD Projekt’s upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 sequel features a new city that feels like “Chicago gone wrong”.
Speaking at Digital Dragons 2025, R. Talsorian Games founder Mike Pondsmith was asked about Project Orion, the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel that’s being headed by CD Projekt Red’s new North American arm, which has studios in Boston and Vancouver.
Pondsmith revealed that he’s not as involved with the second game as he was with 2077, but said he’s keeping track of its progress. The game designer went on to claim that the sequel will feature Night City, as well as a second, unspecified location.
“I’m not as involved directly, but I see the scripts,” Pondsmith said. “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.”
He continued: “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’.”
The Cyberpunk 2077 sequel is being helmed by core team members behind the original game and its Phantom Liberty expansion, who moved to North America to lead development on the follow-up.
CD Projekt Red has also announced the appointment of a number of veteran developers to work on the sequel, including Dan Hernberg, who had previously served as head of production at both Amazon Games and Panic Button, and lead product manager at Blizzard.
Little is known about the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. However, according to job listings, the game is aiming to deliver ‘the most realistic crowds ever seen in a video game’.
CD Projekt Red has also said that the fact that its new Boston studio is working on the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 means it’s likely to be more authentically American than the original was.
