CD Projekt Red's highly anticipated sci-fi epic Cyberpunk 2077 wasn't a completely unqualified success at launch, with bugs, missing features, and other issues that quickly soured fans against the game. However, after almost two years since it was released, Cyberpunk 2077 is enjoying a resurgence as players flock back to experience the vastly improved title. Although it seems likely that a sequel was always planned, CD Projekt Red has used its game's renewed success to announce that another title is in the works, which will almost certainly feature the fan-favorite Night City.
Not much is currently known about the as-yet-untitled Cyberpunk 2077, which has been codenamed 'Orion,' so gamers have been left to fill in the blanks for the time being. However, the developer has said that most of its upcoming games will feature multiplayer, which could be an exciting addition to Cyberpunk 2077. Players also know that CD Projekt Red is starting a brand-new saga in the popular Witcher franchise as well as remaking the original, so it could be a while before they have any more news on the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. While updates may be slim, fans are sure they'll be able to explore Night City once more in the next title.
Night City In Cyberpunk 2077
Fans of the original tabletop role-playing game Cyberpunk and its various iterations would have already been very familiar with Night City, the fictional metropolis situated on the west coast of the United States. It was the main setting for the table-top games, as well as subsequent spin-off material and CD Projekt Red's own Cyberpunk 2077. Not only is Night City a fascinating sci-fi location, but it's also a vibrant and cutthroat society filled with warring groups, uneasy politics, and corporate rivalries – a rich setting for a multitude of narratives.
Night City is too big a place to fully explore in one game, so it seems inevitable that it will at least make an appearance in the sequel, if not be the main setting once more. It's way too iconic a location to ignore, even if the follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077 goes in some vastly different directions. Other futuristic locations have been explored before, but time and again the Cyberpunk franchise returns to Night City because it's a place that yields so much both visually and narratively.
Cyberpunk 2077 may have centered around V and their struggle to make a name for themselves, battle scheming corporations, and remove a rather vocal rocker from their head, but Night City was practically the main character. Its diverse districts, stratified society, and violent tendencies made it a challenging and compelling place to explore and try to conquer, and many fans would welcome the chance to uncover more of it in a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel.
Why Night City Is Such An Important Element
Whether players like a setting or not can be key to a video game's success, particularly when gamers need to feel compelled to wander around it as part of the gameplay. Night City is massive, and if it wasn't an interesting location, it would be a chore to travel around and try to complete Side Jobs and quests. Of course there are other aspects that need to grab a player's attention to make sure a game is worth playing, but the quality of the setting is not to be underestimated. Cyberpunk 2077 may have its flaws, but a banal location is definitely not one of them.
CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 may be a new story, featuring (for the most part) original characters, but Night City is the core element that keeps it tied to the beloved TTRPG that it's based on. It's what the stories in the series continue to revolve around, and many think it's what the sequel should focus on as well. It could follow in the footsteps of many game series that continue to explore new depths to familiar locations with each iteration, like Pandora in the Borderlands franchise.
How The Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel Could Use Night City
There are lots of benefits to re-using Night City in the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, in addition to keeping it as a touchstone location throughout the Cyberpunk series. Basing the next game in the same city would allow CD Projekt red to reuse assets and hopefully avoid the same kind of crunch the developer experienced during the production of Cyberpunk 2077. It's no secret that the immense pressures on the studio hastened the release and meant that Cyberpunk 2077 launched in a far from finished state, and this harmed not only the title's initial success but also the reputation of the studio.
In order to ensure that the same problems that plagued the first game aren't repeated, CD Projekt Red needs to make sure it sets reachable targets while still producing a game that meets its ambitions, and using recycled assets with a fresh sheen and added elements would be the perfect way to make sure Cyberpunk 2077's sequel is still new and original without having to start from square one. There are numerous lessons that the developer could learn from the release of the first game, and with its commitment to transparency with recent announcements, it seems like CD Projekt Red is on the right track.
The sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 could build on what's already there, letting players explore both familiar locations and new ones as other sides to the city are revealed. Like the first game, the sequel could open up the map and feature some of the more isolated communities outside of Night City like the nomadic population in the Badlands. With Night City as its lively center, the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel could let gamers leave the confines of the city and see what else might be out in the barren world beyond. CD Projekt Red's statement that the sequel will "prove the full power and potential of the Cyberpunk universe," makes it seem like it has big plans to expand the title, but keeping it rooted in Night City just makes sense.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
