CD Projekt RED PR supervisor Ola Sondej has revealed that the studio has solely been utilizing the title of Cyberpunk 2 to seek advice from the subsequent recreation within the franchise. Based on The Verge, Sondej has stated that this doesn’t essentially imply that it will likely be a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077.
Sondej’s assertion comes shortly after the corporate confirmed that it has entered the pre-production part for Cyberpunk 2 – recognized internally as Challenge Orion. The announcement was made throughout a latest earnings report, the place the studio additionally famous that Cyberpunk 2 wasn’t the finalised identify for the sport.
Whereas pre-production on the sport might have began already, we’d nonetheless be between 4 and 5 years away from seeing the precise recreation. Throughout the identical investor name, studio co-CEO Michał Nowakowski stated that CD Projekt RED’s improvement pipeline often takes video games round 5 years to go from pre-production to remaining launch date.
“Our journey from the pre-production to the ultimate launch date takes 4 to 5 years on common,” stated Nowakowski when requested about whether or not the studio’s present improvement pipeline for The Witcher 4 can be an indicator for what we will anticipate for a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. “Having stated that, and preserving in thoughts that every challenge is exclusive and there are a lot of variables that affect the ultimate consequence, I cannot lead you into particular years.”
Challenge Orion was introduced has having entered the earliest levels of improvement again in February 2024, with Gabriel Amatangelo – who final labored on Cyberpunk 2077’s growth Phantom Liberty – serving as the sport’s director. Different builders engaged on the sport embody Dan Hernberg as government producer, Ryan Barnard as design director, and Alan Villani as engineering director. All three are veterans of the sport improvement trade, with Hernberg having served at Blizzard, Barnard at Ubisoft Huge and IO Interactive, and Villani at WB Video games.
Whereas particulars about Challenge Orion – or Cyberpunk 2 – would possibly nonetheless be sprase, again in 2022, studio CFO Piotr Nielubowicz spoke about what number of builders the sport would possibly want. In an investor name on the time, Nielubowicz stated that the studio can take cues from Cyberpunk 2077’s improvement workforce, and that the brand new recreation would possibly want between 350 and 500 builders.
“As for the overall headcount required for such a manufacturing, I consider the most effective reference is Cyberpunk 2077, our most up-to-date launch and a very good reference level when excited about improvement headcount and future tasks of this scale,” he stated on the time. “I believe it’s protected to imagine that between 350 and 500 builders must be required.”
Improvement on Challenge Orion is being dealt with primarily by CD Projekt RED’s North American studio, with assist coming in from groups working in Boston, Vancouver, and Poland.
Creator Mike Pondsmith has additionally stated that Cyberpunk 2 would happen in a brand new metropolis, which he has described as being much less just like the Blade Runner-inspired Night time Metropolis and extra like a “Chicago gone unsuitable.” Pondsmith has additionally stated that Night time Metropolis will nonetheless be current within the recreation in some type.
