Cyberpunk 2077 is a fascinating game, and it's likely that its sequel, currently known only as Project Orion, will be equally intriguing—though hopefully for different reasons. Much of Cyberpunk 2077's legacy is defined by its historically bungled launch, which took years of brutal, expensive work to repair, and there's no doubt that CD Projekt Red would like to avoid a similar situation with its follow-up.
A major casualty of Cyberpunk 2077's troubled release was the game's multiplayer mode. Initially planned as part of a post-launch update, the multiplayer component of the sci-fi action-RPG was ultimately scrapped, with CDPR choosing instead to focus on "the most important" aspect of the game, that being its single-player campaign and sandbox. And as most Cyberpunk 2077 would likely agree, this was the right decision: cruising through Night City solo and taking on Arasaka as V and Johnny is where the magic is at. But still, it's fun to dream about what such a multiplayer mode, if it had come to fruition, would have looked like. As it turns out, this might not have to be just a dream.
CD Projekt Red Is Hiring Online Game Developers for 'Cyberpunk 2'
CD Projekt Red Has a Lead Network Engineer Position Available at Its Boston Office
As spotted by IGN, CD Projekt Red is openly seeking Lead Network Engineer for its Boston office, where the majority of Project Orion's development is being done. The listing is explicitly for "Cyberpunk 2," and its "daily responsibilities" include developing robust online infrastructure, optimizing multiplayer systems, and, most telling of all, devising matchmaking features.
Naturally, there's not a lot that can be gleaned from this job posting beyond the obvious: Cyberpunk 2077's sequel will have a multiplayer component after all. This was long-rumored and mostly confirmed up to this point, but never so explicitly. Other, similar job listings have appeared in the past, but they would only gesture toward a multiplayer mode for Cyberpunk 2077, using language like "nice to have" when referring to prior multiplayer development experience. This most recent Lead Network Engineer listing isn't a direct, public announcement of Cyberpunk 2's multiplayer integration, but it's the next best thing.
Bringing multiplayer gameplay to Project Orion tracks with CD Projekt Red's broader push toward multiplayer gaming, as the company is confirmed to be chipping away at a Witcher multiplayer game via newly-acquired studio The Molasses Flood.
Multiplayer in Project Orion Could Be a Big Deal
CD Projekt Red built its reputation on the back of strong writing and storytelling, so it's somewhat surprising that it would turn around and be so bullish with multiplayer. The fact that the studio has never dabbled in this area before means that it's next to impossible to predict exactly what Project Orion's theoretical multiplayer integration might look like, but that's part of what makes it exciting.
The aforementioned job listing's mention of matchmaking suggests that Project Orion could have competitive multiplayer which, given Cyberpunk 2077's robust build-crafting tools, could be promising indeed. If CDPR is looking to be a bit more ambitious, then perhaps this multiplayer mode could be a quasi-MMO akin to GTA Online, wherein players can roam Project Orion's setting, interact with one another, and connect for missions, deathmatches, races, and the like. This may be the likelier option, as it would follow the industry trend of metaverse-development—something that gaming companies the world over have been dumping resources into.
Ultimately, only time will tell what Project Orion's multiplayer features will look like, but at least there's clear evidence of its existence. Hopefully, CD Projekt Red feels ready to draw back the curtain on Project Orion—and its unprecedented online mechanics—before too long.
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
