Despite a remarkable first opus, CD Projekt RED believes it did not achieve its ambitions for 2077. This should change drastically with its sequel, Cyberpunk 2.
At least that's what the Polish studio announced in its latest podcast. In addition to wanting to further display Cyberpunk 2's American roots, due to development carried out from offices in Boston and Vancouver, the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 should satisfy fans of this dystopian genre… starting with CD Projekt RED itself.
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Cyberpunk 2 should deserve its name
After years of work on the dark fantasy saga of Geralt of Rivia ending in apotheosis with The Witcher 3, CD Projekt RED took on the challenge of adapting Mike Pondsmith's role-playing game into a dystopian future with Cyberpunk 2077, which is also in FPS view. The result was generally successful, despite enormous problems at launch. All thanks to a masterful narration of which the Polish studio has the secret, carried in particular by Keanu Reeves and Idris Elba in Phantom Liberty. Many, including the developers themselves, believe, however, that the first opus did not push the dystopian aspect and social issues of the cyberpunk genre far enough.
This should radically change in Cyberpunk 2, as CD Projekt RED indicates in its latest podcast AnswerRED. ” We are not far enough on these themes, we have only scratched the surface “, says Paweł Sasko, associate director of the game. Since 2077 allowed them to lay a solid foundation for their vision of Mike Pondsmith's dystopian future, it would therefore not be surprising if the studio could give itself the means to achieve its ambitions for the sequel this time. This is partly thanks to the fact that it is developed on a more cooperative Unreal Engine 5 than their in-house RED Engine, now abandoned.
Great ambitions, but they will take a lot of time
I think the coolest aspect of the cyberpunk genre is the dystopian future it depicts, and how similar it is to our world today. Megacorporations, people living on the edge, seen as resources to be exploited, with a huge wealth gap. 2077 allowed us to tell these stories through the prism of our encounters and the both beautiful and sad relationships that we form with them. But ultimately we are in a broken world. In Cyberpunk 2, we're going to try to explore all of this in an even more poignant way.
Dan Hernberg, executive producer of Cyberpunk 2
This looks promising for fans of the dystopian genre as a whole and the first opus in particular. Let's hope that its sequel will live up to CD Projekt RED's ambitions, and that it doesn't bite off more than it can chew, like it did with 2077. To be sure, however, we'll have to be very patient. Cyberpunk 2 is only in pre-production, with the Polish studio's top priority being The Witcher 4. The latter should go into production this year, but we have no certainty as to any release window at this time.