It is sometimes hard to believe that Cyberpunk 2077 launched all the way back in 2020, and to a hugely negative critical reception no less. Now, it remains a poster child for how to do a good first-person RPG, and one of the few decent cyberpunk-focused video games available. Of course, it's humongous success, expanded media, and the massive DLC has led to people wanting more Cyberpunk 2077 content, and fortunately, it is on its way.

There has been a lot of buzz and rumors about Cyberpunk 2077's sequel, currently codenamed Orion, including new features, characters, and potential storylines that could carry over from the first game. However, by far one of the biggest things on my mind is where a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel may be set. Fortunately, the original creator has revealed exactly where Project Orion will be set, and I have to say I'm a little disappointed.

Cyberpunk 2077's Sequel Is Set In Night City

The Original Creator Confirmed It

I had always wondered what features Cyberpunk 2 should abandon from the original, and there was a part of me that had hoped one of them would be Night City. That's not to say that Night City isn't an incredible sandbox, as it is one of my favorite open-world spaces and easily the greatest urban environment in all of gaming. However, I had hoped that CD Projekt Red would take the opportunity to explore how other parts of America or even the world had changed. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case, at least not entirely.

Mike Pondsmith, the original creator of the Cyberpunk universe, recently spoke about Cyberpunk 2's setting and how it may or may not be changing. During a talk at the Digital Dragons 2025 event in Poland, Pondsmith, somewhat accidentally - one has to assume CD Projekt Red hasn't given him carte blanche to reveal all of its secrets - revealed that Cyberpunk 2077's sequel will still be set within Night City. In a video ed to the YouTube channel tvgry, Pondsmith explains how, upon talking to staff at CD Projekt Red, he learned that we'd still be in Night City.

Specifically, Pondsmith explained that "Night City's still there," implying that we'll still be stuck in the grimy, crime-ridden, corpo-run streets of the megacity despite all of V's actions during the events of the first game. While it certainly makes sense, and many fans will be happy to see it return, I feel like it is a huge mistake to make it even a partial setting of the sequel. If anything, Cyberpunk 2077's sequel needs a completely new setting that allows for a completely new story, protagonist, and exploration of different themes that weren't covered extensively in the original game.

Night City Shouldn't Be Cyberpunk 2's Main Setting

It Needs To Branch Out

Night City is absolutely an incredible location, and one CD Projekt Red poured so much time and effort into constructing. It would be a shame to see all of that effort go to waste, especially considering how many unresolved Cyberpunk 2077 mysteries and side stories there still are that could be wrapped up in a sequel. There are plenty of characters, locations, ideas, and themes that fans would want to see again in a sequel, so it does make sense for CD Projekt Red to bring back the legendary city for one more outing. I completely and wholeheartedly understand that.

However, I also feel like returning to it would mean exploring the same streets we already know so well. Those streets feel fundamentally attached to V's journey, even if the point was that they were a mere cog in a massive machine that barely recognized their existence. Night City has been used to great effect in other characters' stories, such as in Edgerunners, No Coincidence, and the incredible Cyberpunk 2077 comic books, but they're all expanded media that can approach the city from a different and unique angle.

There are a lot of improvements that can be made to Night City that would help make it feel like an altogether different place. But even if CD Projekt Red poured a considerable amount of time and resources into achieving that, I feel like it would be a waste when it could be exploring another facet of this universe instead. I don't want CD Projekt Red to pigeonhole itself into such a tiny corner, especially when other locations give it the chance to explore completely different and complex themes, much like the phenomenal TV series White Lotus does per season.

Cyberpunk 2077's Sequel Has A Second Secret Location

It Could Be Chicago

Fortunately, not all hope is lost, as Pondsmith, while revealing all sorts of juicy details, also let slip that there will be a new setting in Cyberpunk 2. While recounting an anecdote about talking to an environment artist at CD Projekt Red, Pondsmith mentioned how there is a "new place in Orion" that is "another city we visit." He quickly realized his mistake and promised not to reveal any more details before going on to say that "it doesn't feel like Blade Runner. It feels more like Chicago gone wrong." His full statement at the Digital Dragons 2025 event was:

"He was explaining how the new place in Orion- because there's another city that we visit. Not telling any more than that, but there's another city we visit. And, Night City's still there, but I looking at him and going 'yeah, I understand the feel that you're going for this, and this really does work'. And it doesn't feel like Blade Runner. It feels more like Chicago gone wrong."

Naturally, one assumes that we'll be traveling to Chicago, a location that is referenced throughout the original Cyberpunk 2077. There is every possibility that this will be a fleeting visit, a location we rock up to for a linear, scripted sequence, or is accessible in one of Cyberpunk 2's starting lifepaths, if there are indeed any in the game. However, it is also possible that players will start in Night City briefly before moving to Chicago, or wherever this other city may be located, for the rest of the game. If that is the case, that would be rather interesting.

It wouldn't be too different from how Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 handles its open world, or even something akin to Like a Dragon or Lost Judgment, which sees you switch between key locations. Essentially, it isn't completely unheard of, and I can imagine CD Projekt Red pulling something like this off. Cyberpunk 2077's sequel needs something new to excite players, and an entirely new open-world city to explore would be a great way of achieving that.

However, as exciting as it may be, it comes with the same issues that Night City unfortunately suffered from. If CD Projekt Red rushes it out too quickly, then it could be buggy, or, like Night City, lack the bite that it promises. Night City rarely feels dangerous and was lacking key features like a competent police system for years. I hope that if CD Projekt Red is working on a new location for Cyberpunk 2077's sequel, it will take the time it needs to flesh it out and make it as interesting as Night City is now.

Source: tvgry/YouTube, WarLyric/Twitter