‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Sequel Could Take Place In a New City – Though It Won’t Replace Night City

The creator of Cyberpunk recently gave an interview in which he revealed new details about the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, tentatively titled Project Orion. Mike Pondsmith let slip that CD Projekt Red is looking to potentially expand beyond the borders of Night City by allowing players to visit an entirely new city in the upcoming RPG.

‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Sequel May Feature New City

During the Digital Dragons 2025 conference on May 20, Mike Pondsmith sat down for a lengthy interview about Cyberpunk 2077. The prolific author touched on many aspects of the franchise. Such as how he got with CD Projekt Red and how he was initially unsure about Keanu Reeves playing Johnny Silverhand, due to the actor being “too nice.” However, Pondsmith also gave us our first details about Cyberpunk 2077‘s upcoming sequel when he began discussing his current involvement with the project.

According to Pondsmith, he was speaking with an environmental artist at CD Projekt Red about a new city in the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. “I spent a lot of time talking to one of the environment guys. He was explaining how the new place in Project Orion looks, because there is another city we visit. I’m not telling you any more than that. But there is another city we visit. Night City is still there. But I remember looking at that and going, ‘Yeah, I understand the feel you are going for, and this really works. And it doesn’t feel like Blade Runner — it feels more like Chicago gone wrong. I can see this working.’”

This is, of course, interesting because it suggests we could be exploring a brand-new city in the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. Although Pondsmith was quick to point out that Night City is still part of the game, it’s unclear how significant the new locale will be. Also, the Cyberpunk sequel is still in early development, so plans can always change. Still, this is pretty exciting news.

New ‘Cyberpunk’ Sequel takes place in Chicago?

For me, the more intriguing aspect of this quote is him describing the location as similar to Chicago. With Night City being a mix of Los Angeles and Las Vegas? This gives us a pretty good idea of what to expect from the new Cyberpunk 2077 sequel city. As for why he mentions Blade Runner, he actually explains this earlier in the interview.

Mike Pondsmith revealed that when Cyberpunk 2077 was being developed, he didn’t want the game’s city to feel like Blade Runner. While he said he loved the film, he also pointed out that the sci-fi classic had been “done already.” So, he specifically didn’t want a dreary city that was “always raining” and “dark.” This is how they eventually came up with Night City—a more grounded city of the future that has “gone to hell.”

Anyway, I recommend checking out the full interview above. Mike Pondsmith is always a pleasure to listen to, and he really takes a deep dive into Cyberpunk lore. For instance, I find it funny that Johnny Silverhand was originally supposed to have a mullet like David Bowie. Thankfully, we got the final version of the iconic character. But, hey, I love Bowie, so that might have actually been awesome.