Ever since CD Projekt RED announced The Witcher 4 at The Game Awards, it’s been offering crumbs of new information, from more player freedom to promising a “deeper and more immersive world.” However, details on Project Orion, the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, have been far less common, including whether it still unfolds in Night City.
As it turns out, there’s a new place to explore in Orion. Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith revealed in an interview at Digital Dragons 2025, “There’s another city that we visit. Night City is still there, but I remember looking at it and going, ‘Yeah, I understand the feel that you’re going for, and this really does work.’
“And it doesn’t feel like Blade Runner. It feels more like Chicago gone wrong. I said, ‘Yeah, I can see this working.'”
It isn’t explicit confirmation that players will venture to Chicago, but there is strong evidence. Billboards in Cyberpunk 2077 touted travel from Night City to Chicago in less than three hours due in 2080, referring to the construction of Night Corp’s maglev connection in the official timeline. Of course, it remains to be seen if Night City is available to explore and how much it’s changed.
Project Orion doesn’t have a release date or official title – it entered the early development stage in February 2024. A job listing from earlier this year revealed that the team is going for the “most realistic and reactive crowd system” yet. Stay tuned for more updates.
