It seems CD Projekt Red is going to be hard at work for the foreseeable future, producing a large number of titles including two new Witcher projects, an RPG set in a new IP currently known as Project Hadar, and a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077. If gamers had been informed back in 2020 that a new Cyberpunk game was on the way, the reception would have most likely been lukewarm at best, considering the widely panned launch of CD Projekt Red's futuristic RPG.
However, in 2022, Cyberpunk 2077 has seen a huge resurgence. A lot of gamers are referring to the redemption of the title as one of the best in recent history. Thanks to both CD Projekt Red's constant updates and the success of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Cyberpunk 2077 has broken its player-count records consistently through the late summer of this year. This has meant that a lot of hype is drumming up about Project Orion, but besides knowing that the game will expand on the Cyberpunk universe and that development on it will begin following the release of the Phantom Liberty expansion, not much is known about this upcoming game - especially regarding what it could be about.
What Could the Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel be About?
With multiple endings and branching story paths, Cyberpunk 2077's main story didn't exactly set itself up for a sequel. From the end of Act 1 players are told that V only has a certain amount of time left to live, and a lot of the story revolves around trying to reverse that to no avail. While the curse of Johnny Silverhand's consciousness in V's mind doesn't stop them from shooting, looting, and engaging with some of Cyberpunk 2077's romance options, it does leave directions for a sequel pretty limited, as even in the endings where V lives, they are only given a few months left to do so.
This means that Project Orion could depart from V's storyline entirely. From the success of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, it has been proven that V isn't needed to make a story set in Night City work. However, there is one way that CD Projekt Red could ensure V makes it to Cyberpunk 2077's sequel. The Sun ending in Cyberpunk 2077 leaves the game and V's fate largely open-ended, allowing the protagonist to set off into space as they prepare to infiltrate the Crystal Palace Casino.
While it would be interesting to see a narrative in space for Project Orion, this would disappoint some players since it would essentially render the other Cyberpunk 2077 endings as meaningless. There are some other endings that could see V live, but again this would require a lot of work from CD Projekt Red to ensure each player feels as though their decisions in the original game mattered as they enter the sequel. With so many problems caused by either making one ending canon or trying to start a new game that fits all choices, it seems like V might not be appearing in the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, giving players a fresh slate when they re-enter Night City.
Without V or Johnny Silverhand, this leaves space in Project Orion to take on an entirely new plot. Even if V isn't playable in the sequel, players could still feel their impact on the world of Cyberpunk 2077 if CD Projekt Red were to pursue other plot points. Seeing what Alt Cunningham does with Mikoshi could lead to another game's worth of narrative, or considering Arasaka's downward spiral at the end of many Cyberpunk 2077 playthroughs, another option could explore the power vacuum left by the megacorporation.
Where the Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel Could Go
Considering that CD Projekt Red could start completely fresh with Project Orion, it is possible that Night City could be swapped out for another setting in the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. There are plenty of other interesting locations in the setting that could be explored. Even just heading outside of Night City, the New United States of America has plenty of interesting locations due to its in-depth lore as part of the Cyberpunk universe. Moving further away, other large cities like Rio de Janeiro and Busan also come up in the lore a lot, making them potential locations for the sequel. As stated, space also exists if CD Projekt Red wanted to push Project Orion in a more sci-fi direction.
The codename Orion could even be hinting towards this, considering the Orion constellation. However, even while these locations might be interesting for a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, there is still plenty left to do in Night City. The Phantom Liberty expansion will be giving players new areas to explore in the Cyberpunk setting's most infamous city, but even then there's still lots of space for CD Projekt Red to mess around with. Alongside plenty of places left to see in Night City, the City of Dreams holds a lot more interesting individuals and characters from the Cyberpunk tabletop that didn't quite get to shine in the video game.
With the player already having taken on Arasaka or made a powerful ally out of the megacorporation in Cyberpunk 2077, this gives CD Projekt Red the option to give gamers a chance to have an even bigger influence over the world in the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. However, having already produced a narrative with huge stakes, it is possible that the sequel could also turn these risks down a little to tell a more personal story, similar to that of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
There is also the question of when Cyberpunk 2077's sequel could take place. While the title of sequel implies that Project Orion will take the story forward, there is the possibility that it could wind the clock back. Take Red Dead Redemption 2, for example, which acts as a prequel despite it being the "2" following its title. As with the question of where CD Projekt Red could go with Orion, the time period could also allow players to see some huge moments in Cyberpunk lore, such as the Corporate Wars that are referenced in Cyberpunk 2077.
Project Orion is in development for unspecified platforms.
