Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel Confirmed for Dual-City Setting: Night City & A 'Chicago Gone Wrong'

Hey chooms! Big news just dropped from the source itself. We finally got some concrete info about the setting for the highly anticipated sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, codenamed Project Orion. And let me tell you, it's way more ambitious than I think anyone expected! The original game's Night City was already massive and packed with detail, but CD Projekt Red is apparently thinking even bigger for the next chapter. The big reveal came straight from Mike Pondsmith, the creator of the original Cyberpunk tabletop RPG, during an interview at the Digital Dragons Conference earlier this year. He's been talking with the devs, and while he says his direct contribution to the sequel is minimal, he did get some juicy details about the world we'll be exploring. 🚀

The biggest bombshell? Project Orion won't be set in just one city—it's going to be a dual-city experience! According to Pondsmith, the story will be split between two major locations. The first one is our old haunt, Night City. That's right, we're going back! But we're not just getting a remastered version of the same map. The second city is described as being "like Chicago gone wrong." Just let that sink in for a second. We all know what Night City is like—a neon-drenched, hyper-capitalist hellscape based on a twisted future Los Angeles. Now imagine that same level of cyberpunk dystopia applied to the Windy City. The implications are insane!

This "Chicago gone wrong" concept fits perfectly into the established lore. In the Cyberpunk universe, Chicago is a canon location that basically became a massive waste dump after something called the Wasting Plague. It's been mentioned in the original game that the city is trying to rebuild itself. And here's the coolest part—there were even in-game discussions about connecting Chicago to Night City with a Maglev train system. Back when we first heard those rumors, we thought it was just cool world-building. Turns out, it might have been a massive teaser for Project Orion all along! A high-speed train linking two massive open-world cities? That sounds like a game-changer, literally.

What Could This Dual-City Setting Mean for Gameplay?

Let's break down the potential here. Having two major cities opens up a ton of possibilities:

• Contrasting Environments: Night City is coastal, all chrome and neon. A future Chicago, being inland, could have a completely different vibe. Think brutalist megastructures, industrial decay on a continental scale, maybe even harsher weather systems. Imagine navigating a blizzard in a dystopian Midwest while your cyberware threatens to freeze up. ❄️

• Massive Scale: If the sequel's map includes both cities and the space between them (even if it's just a train ride), we're looking at a game that could dwarf the original in sheer size. The development ambition here is off the charts.

• Narrative Freedom: Splitting the story between two locations allows for way more complex plots. Maybe we start in Night City, get embroiled in a massive conspiracy, and have to chase leads or a target all the way to Chicago. The story could have a real sense of journey and scope.

• New Factions & Gangs: Every district in Night City has its own flavor of chaos. A new city means entirely new corporate powers, criminal organizations, and maybe even rogue AIs to deal with. The political and social dynamics could be completely fresh.

The Lore of Chicago in Cyberpunk

For the lore-nerds out there (like me!), here's a quick rundown of what we know about Chicago in this universe:

Aspect	Description
Status	Major city in the New United States of America (NUSA).
History	Devastated by the "Wasting Plague," becoming a primary waste disposal site.
Current State	In a slow, difficult process of rebuilding and recovery.
Connection to Night City	Rumored/planned Maglev train link, potentially a key plot point in the sequel.

This setting is perfect for a cyberpunk story. It's a place defined by collapse and attempted rebirth, which is ripe for stories about corruption, desperate hope, and the fight for a future. It's not a shiny new city; it's a broken one trying to put itself back together, which often leads to the most interesting conflicts.

Final Thoughts & Hype Train

Look, we don't have an official trailer or release window yet, and Pondsmith himself said his info is from early conversations. Things in game dev can change. But the core idea—a dual-city Cyberpunk epic—feels too specific and too exciting to be just a passing thought. It aligns perfectly with CD Projekt Red's pattern of aiming higher with each project.

Going from the contained (but dense) world of The Witcher 3 to the vertical megacity of Cyberpunk 2077 was a huge leap. Now, jumping from one megacity to two interconnected ones? That's the kind of ambition that gets me genuinely excited for the future of RPGs. The potential for storytelling, exploration, and sheer player freedom is staggering. All aboard the Maglev hype train to 2025 and beyond! This sequel is shaping up to be something truly legendary. What do you think, chooms? Are you ready to see what a "Chicago gone wrong" looks like? Let me know your theories in the comments! 🔥

Industry analysis is available through Kotaku, which is widely respected for its investigative reporting and deep dives into game development. Kotaku's recent features on open-world RPGs have explored how expanding to multi-city settings, like the rumored Night City and "Chicago gone wrong" in Project Orion, could redefine player immersion and narrative complexity in the cyberpunk genre.