CD Projekt RED PR manager Ola Sondej has revealed that the studio has only been using the title of Cyberpunk 2 to refer to the next game in the franchise. According to The Verge, Sondej has said that this doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077.
Sondej’s statement comes shortly after the company confirmed that it has entered the pre-production phase for Cyberpunk 2 – known internally as Project Orion. The announcement was made during a recent earnings report, where the studio also noted that Cyberpunk 2 wasn’t the finalised name for the game.
While pre-production on the game may have started already, we might still be between 4 and 5 years away from seeing the actual game. During the same investor call, studio co-CEO Michał Nowakowski said that CD Projekt RED’s development pipeline usually takes games around 5 years to go from pre-production to final release date.
“Our journey from the pre-production to the final release date takes four to five years on average,” said Nowakowski when asked about whether the studio’s current development pipeline for The Witcher 4 is also an indicator for what we can expect for a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. “Having said that, and keeping in mind that each project is unique and there are many variables that influence the final outcome, I will not lead you into specific years.”
Project Orion was announced has having entered the earliest stages of development back in February 2024, with Gabriel Amatangelo – who last worked on Cyberpunk 2077’s expansion Phantom Liberty – serving as the game’s director. Other developers working on the game include Dan Hernberg as executive producer, Ryan Barnard as design director, and Alan Villani as engineering director. All three are veterans of the game development industry, with Hernberg having served at Blizzard, Barnard at Ubisoft Massive and IO Interactive, and Villani at WB Games.
While details about Project Orion – or Cyberpunk 2 – might still be sprase, back in 2022, studio CFO Piotr Nielubowicz spoke about how many developers the game might need. In an investor call at the time, Nielubowicz said that the studio can take cues from Cyberpunk 2077’s development team, and that the new game might need between 350 and 500 developers.
“As for the total headcount required for such a production, I believe the best reference is Cyberpunk 2077, our most recent release and a good reference point when thinking about development headcount and future projects of this scale,” he said at the time. “I think it’s safe to assume that between 350 and 500 developers should be required.”
Development on Project Orion is being handled primarily by CD Projekt RED’s North American studio, with support coming in from teams working in Boston, Vancouver, and Poland.
Creator Mike Pondsmith has also said that Cyberpunk 2 would take place in a new city, which he has described as being less like the Blade Runner-inspired Night City and more like a “Chicago gone wrong.” Pondsmith has also said that Night City will still be present in the game in some form.
