CD Projekt Red has made a name for itself over the last decade or so. While the Polish developer has been around since 2007, it really hit its stride with The Wticher 3's release in 2015. Managing to create one of the best open-world games of all time, fans thought CD Projekt Red was the perfect team to helm Cyberpunk 2077. However, it proved a little too ambitious for the studio, and Cyberpunk 2077 was met with a largely negative reception upon its initial, broken 2020 release.
Two years later, it seems as though CD Projekt Red has managed to fix a great deal of Cyberpunk 2077's issues, delivering an experience that the studio can be proud of and fans can enjoy. While it may have taken a few years to get there, Cyberpunk 2077 has finally become the beginning of a sprawling franchise that CD Projekt Red was hoping for, and the developer has plenty of plans for its future.
The Future of CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk Franchise
While the Cyberpunk franchise isn't nearly as popular as CD Projekt Red's Witcher series, it is getting there, and the developer is tentatively testing the waters with a few confirmed projects. The first upcoming Cyberpunk project is a complete edition of Cyberpunk 2077. Following lots of rumors, CD Projekt Red just confirmed that a complete edition of Cyberpunk 2077 will be releasing in the near future - just not until all of its major DLC expansions have released. At the bare minimum, fans will be waiting until late 2023 for the complete edition, as the Phantom Liberty DLC is set to release some time next year.
In October, CD Projekt Red confirmed that alongside a slew of new Witcher titles, it is also working on a full sequel to Cyberpunk 2077. Nothing has been revealed about this sequel except that its codename title is "Orion." CD Projekt Red released a statement alongside the announcement that said the developer plans on taking the Cyberpunk franchise further, planning to continue harnessing the potential of the "dark future universe." It seems likely that CD Projekt Red will learn from its mistakes with the first Cyberpunk 2077, and ensure that the sequel is well within its capabilities.
Soon after Cyberpunk 2077's release, CD Projekt Red hinted that its next big AAA project was going to be a full-fledged multiplayer Cyberpunk spinoff. After going dark on the project for the last year or so, CD Projekt just announced that the multiplayer project has been scrapped completely. In an interview with Eurogamer, CD Projekt's Philipp Weber said Cyberpunk 2077's rocky launch is to blame for the multiplayer game's cancelation, with the developer reportedly taking a step back and making the tough decision to scrap the spin-off so it could focus entirely on 2077 and its sequel.
One of the biggest reasons behind Cyberpunk 2077's resurgence earlier this year was the Netflix animated series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. While CD Projekt Red has confirmed Edgerunners won't receive a second season, the developer has expressed interest in creating another Cyberpunk show in a similar vein. With Edgerunners being such a surprise hit, it seems likely that fans will get to see more Cyberpunk animated spin-offs in the future.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
