We might finally be closer to Cyberpunk 2 coming out than the original game was when it was first announced back in 2012. CD Projekt Red recently confirmed that the sci-fi open-world RPG sequel has moved into pre-production with roughly 100 developers currently devoted to the Polish studio’s second major franchise.
CDPR outlined its current development allocation in its latest report to investors. Formerly known as Project Orion, Cyberpunk 2 is expected to take players back to the first game’s bustling LA-inspired Night City as well as to a new hub location that’s been described as akin to Chicago. The Witcher 4, meanwhile, currently has 422 developers working on it but isn’t expected to ship before 2027. The company also noted that Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion has currently sold 10 million copies, and The Witcher 3 has sold 60 million copies, 10 million of which are from the last five years.
Assuming the Ciri-led follow-up doesn’t end up hitting until 2028 and Cyberpunk 2 takes five years of additional development after that, we wouldn’t see it until 2033, about eight years from now. That might feel like forever, but remember: it was seven years between the first big cinematic teaser for Cyberpunk and its buggy release in 2020.
Will things be smoother and faster this time around? Considering CDPR now has lots of experience with both its third-person fantasy and first-person shooter formulas under its belt, maybe! Both franchises are also moving to Unreal Engine 5 and CDPR is involved in other projects as well, however, including a Witcher spin-off codenamed Sirius and a new IP called Hadar. Plus blockbuster game development just keeps getting more complex, expensive, and time-consuming. What took five years to make on PS5 might take even longer on PS6.
No wonder, then, that in the meantime CDPR is trying to get the existing Cyberpunk 2077 in front of more people with the Switch 2 port. Unfortunately, despite a next-gen version of The Witcher 3 that came out a few years ago, a Switch 2 edition of that game isn’t currently in the works.
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