CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expanded the game's world without expanding its borders. It returned players to a more refined, denser Night City and added Dogtown as a walled-off district, full of personality and corruption. Rather than chase a bigger map, Phantom Liberty chose to deepen the one it already had. That decision led to a more focused experience, one that rewarded slow exploration and narrative patience.
Now, the future of the franchise lies with Project Orion, CD Projekt Red's codename for the next Cyberpunk game. Unlike Phantom Liberty, this new entry doesn't have to stay tied to Night City. In fact, it probably won’t. And while leaving such an iconic location could open creative doors, it also risks losing what made Cyberpunk 2077’s world so compelling.
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Project Orion Could Leave Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City
Night City was more than a backdrop; it was a character. From the neon-streaked skyline to the corrupted government and gang politics, the setting gave Cyberpunk 2077 its tension and texture. Phantom Liberty doubled down on that, centering the entire expansion in Dogtown. CD Projekt Red refined the way quests intersected with environments, giving verticality and detail new meaning in a zone that felt alive and brutal.
But Project Orion, the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, is being developed by CD Projekt Red’s North American studio. The distance, both geographic and creative, makes it more likely that Cyberpunk’s next main game will introduce a new setting altogether. The broader Cyberpunk universe supports this move. Mike Pondsmith’s original Cyberpunk tabletop RPG includes global settings like Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and London, each with their own tech, subcultures, and threats.
CD Projekt Red has confirmed that Project Orion will be a full-fledged sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, not just another expansion. As of now, the project is still in early development. The company has made it clear that the new Witcher 4 is the current top priority, with Orion expected to ramp up development more fully after that.
Phantom Liberty’s Worldbuilding Could Be Left Behind
One of Phantom Liberty's most underappreciated accomplishments was how it tied new content into the base game's lore without creating dissonance. The presence of new Cyberpunk characters like Solomon Reed didn’t retcon what came before, but rather expanded on the existing power structures. The political web that Dogtown spun reinforced the harsh realities of the world players already knew.
Leaving Night City means leaving behind those intricate relationships. The next setting might not feature any of the original characters. That could free up Project Orion to build new factions and systems, but it will also demand more upfront work to earn the player’s trust and investment. Without the anchor of Night City, Orion runs the risk of feeling detached unless it carefully lays groundwork that connects with the themes of Cyberpunk 2077 such as identity, power, rebellion, and survival.
The addition of Dogtown’s fixer system, repeatable contracts, and layered interiors showed how even smaller updates can impact gameplay depth. Virtuos, a development partner now working with CD Projekt Red, may contribute similar smaller improvements in the rumored 2.4 update to bridge the gap before Orion arrives.
Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.4 Could Offer Clues
CD Projekt Red has not officially announced Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.4, but speculation is building. With support from external studios like Virtuos, minor additions could point toward the future. Even without major DLC, 2.4 could deliver small teases such as new weapons, messages from distant factions, or rumors about unrest in cities beyond Night City.
These crumbs could be the bridge between Phantom Liberty and Project Orion. For example, an encoded message received through a fixer’s terminal about merc activity in Europe or the disappearance of Militech assets overseas could be the narrative seed Orion later builds upon. It would give attentive players something to chew on and would help maintain interest in Cyberpunk during the long development cycle.
Much like how The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine expansion quietly hinted at future Witcher plans, Cyberpunk 2077 could use a rumored 2.4 patch to do the same. Even if the update is light on gameplay content, narrative signals could go a long way.
Cyberpunk 2077
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 76 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
- Released
- December 10, 2020
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Publisher(s)
- CD Projekt Red
