Draft:Untitled Cyberpunk 2077 sequel

The untitled Cyberpunk 2077 sequel is an upcoming action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt Red and published by CD Projekt. Based on Mike Pondsmith's tabletop game series, the game takes place in its dystopian cyberpunk universe. It was announced in October 2022 under the code name Project Orion. CD Projekt Red North America, a subsidiary established to lead development, is working on the project in collaboration with the studio's Polish subsidiaries. The sequel utilizes Unreal Engine 5, replacing REDengine, which the studio used for its previous titles.

Development
In October 2022, CD Projekt's then-president and joint CEO, Adam Kiciński, announced the establishment of a Boston subsidiary. He stated that this entity would merge with the existing Vancouver subsidiary under the name CD Projekt Red North America to spearhead the development of a sequel for Cyberpunk 2077 (2020), tentatively titled Project Orion. Development is led by CD Projekt Red North America head and game director Gabe Amatangelo, and creative director Igor Sarzyński. They were joined by design director Ryan Barnard, formerly of Massive Entertainment and IO Interactive, and a writing team comprising lead writer Anna Megill, whose previous work includes Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (2017), Control (2019), and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (2023), and Alexander Freed, formerly of BioWare. Developers include personnel who worked on patches for Cyberpunk 2077 and created its expansion pack, Phantom Liberty (2023).

After the release of Phantom Liberty in September 2023, Amatangelo announced a shift in development toward the sequel. In October, CD Projekt's then-head Adam Badowski stated that development duties would be shared equally between the company's North American and Polish subsidiaries. That same month, associate game director Paweł Sasko mentioned that the team had not yet decided whether the sequel would retain a first-person perspective. In November, CD Projekt's art director Paweł Mielniczuk suggested that unrealized concepts from the first game could be incorporated into the sequel. Sarzyński remarked that the company viewed its Witcher series as a model for Cyberpunk's development, aiming for a more cohesive integration of design, game mechanics, and other elements to create a more immersive experience. The following month, CD Projekt's narrative director Philipp Weber stated that the team was looking into improving the narrative impact of the life paths chosen by players, an aspect they believe was underdeveloped in the original game. In January 2024, the project was revealed to be in its conceptual phase, with plans to have a staff of 80 by the end of the year. The company was also exploring the possibility of incorporating multiplayer features. The sequel utilizes Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5, replacing CD Projekt Red's proprietary REDengine, which was retired after Phantom Liberty.