There was a dizzying air of excitement following the announcement that the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077—previously called Project Orion—has entered pre-production. This also marked the end of the conceptual phase of the project headed by CD Projekt Red’s North American studios.
The news was revealed in a statement accompanying the studio’s Q1 2025 financial report. In the statement, CD Projekt specifically called the game Cyberpunk 2, instead of Project Orion.
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“Several weeks ago, the CD Projekt Red team responsible for the next big game set in the Cyberpunk universe completed the project’s conceptual phase,” read the statement. “As a result, Cyberpunk 2 – previously known under the codename Project Orion – has progressed to preproduction.”
Also disclosed in the financial report was that Phantom Liberty, the first expansion of Cyberpunk 2077, has now shipped over 10 million copies. This is coming ahead of the planned release of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition on Switch 2. The Ultimate Edition will be boxed with Phantom Liberty.
Another interesting reveal was that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has sold over 60 million copies, making the series one of the company’s most successful franchises. What’s more surreal is that the third instalment was launched a decade ago but continues to be appreciated.
“This result fills us with great satisfaction, especially given that a new addition is about to join our Cyberpunk portfolio [when] on 5 June the game’s Ultimate Edition will be coming to the new Nintendo Switch 2 console,” said CD Projekt co-CEO Michał Nowakowski.
“Positive reactions from gamers and media representatives who have had the opportunity to play the game at a series of global Nintendo events fill us with optimism. It’s worth noting that for the first time ever, one of our games will become a launch title for a brand new platform.”
Cyberpunk 2 is still at least “four to five” years away
The announcement that Cyberpunk 2 has entered pre-production should not be misunderstood to mean that the game will soon be in the hands of players. During the Q&A session of the latest earnings call, Nowakowski was asked if Cyberpunk 2 will follow The Witcher 4’s pattern of going into pre-production in 2022 and having a 2027 expected release window.
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In response, Nowakowski said the studio takes “four to five years on average” to move from pre-production to the “final release date”. However, there are lots of factors that can impact the final release window, which is why the company will not be specific with years.
Cyberpunk creator sheds light on the sequel
Cyberpunk IP creator Mike Pondsmith disclosed last week that Cyberpunk 2 will have a new city that looks like “Chicago gone wrong”. He also said that he was not as involved in the sequel as with the first game, but was still tracking the progress.
“I’m not as involved directly, but I see the scripts,” Pondsmith said. “Last week I was wandering around talking to different departments and seeing what they had like, ‘this is the new Cyberware, what do you think?’
“I spent a lot of time talking to one of the environment guys, and he was explaining how the new place… because there’s another city that we visit, and I’m not telling you anymore than that, but there’s another city that we visit. Night City is still there.
“I remember looking at it and going, ‘I understand the feel that you’re going for, and this really does work, it doesn’t feel like Blade Runner, it feels more like Chicago gone wrong’. And I said, ‘yeah, I can see this working’.”
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