Now that CD Projekt Red has started working on the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, codenamed Project Orion, we can look forward to seeing where the Polish studio takes things. While the game was initially panned for its wealth of bugs, three years later, things have taken a turn for the best, earning the title an award for Evolving Game at the BAFTAs.
But what of the follow-up? What can we expect? Well, it’s tough to say at the moment, but some of the guys at CDPR sat down recently for a podcast episode to discuss opening a studio in Boston. One thing that did crop up was how making the move to US soil could have an effect on the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 sequel.
At around the 2:10 mark in the video above, Acting Executive Producer Dan Hernberg says that Cyberpunk is “a uniquely American story,” so it kind of makes sense to take the series to the states. It also means CD Projekt Red can make the most of a “huge talent pool” that’s available in America.
A Cyberpunk 2077-style Boston Tea Party?
To pivot off this, Associate Game Director Paweł Sasko mentions a few things in Cyberpunk that were subtle, but seemed evidence to some that it was made by a non-US studio. For example: there’s the issue of the manholes in Night City. A few fans were quick to notice that the manhole covers were designed from ones typically associated with European streets rather than American ones.
Additionally, Director Sebastian Kalemba recalls how tough it was to calibrate, being a Polish outfit, in regard to nailing down American culture by experiencing the country, taking pictures, all in preparation for developing the first game.
For CDPR, it seemed like a pretty wise choice to move much of the base of operations to Boston, to ensure a more accurate approach to Americanizing (I think I just made that up) the next game. Hernberg goes on to say that relocating allows the team to “have those cultural touchpoints,” which should go some way to creating greater authenticity in the follow-up.
