After years of speculation and cautious optimism, Cyberpunk 2 pre-production is officially underway, according to CD Projekt RED’s latest investor report. The follow-up to 2020’s wildly ambitious (and at launch, wildly broken) is now past the conceptual stage and into active development. It’s also expected that the Cyberpunk sequel will target next-gen platforms like PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S.
The Cyberpunk sequel, currently codenamed Project Orion, has been in the planning phase for over a year, but CD Projekt confirmed that as of Q1 2025, the project has transitioned into full pre-production. That means resources are now flowing toward early development, narrative structure, and foundational systems, with roughly 47 developers currently working on it, a number expected to grow throughout the year.
Fans of the genre know that Cyberpunk 2077 had a redemption arc fit for Night City: what launched as a bug-riddled disappointment eventually evolved into a solid RPG thanks to patches, expansions, and the excellent Phantom Liberty. CD Projekt seems intent on learning from that rough start, committing to a more streamlined, less chaotic development process for the sequel.
The company also notes that its North American studio, CD Projekt RED North America, based in Boston, will take the lead on Cyberpunk 2. Meanwhile, the RED engine is taking a backseat, with the sequel likely to be built in Unreal Engine 5, which makes sense considering how hard it reportedly is to work on the RED engine.
While there’s still no concrete release window, the confirmation of Cyberpunk 2 pre-production gives fans something more than breadcrumbs to chew on. Given CDPR’s track record, we probably shouldn’t expect a full reveal any time soon, but the groundwork is being laid.
With RPG heavyweights like The Witcher and Baldur’s Gate 3 setting the bar, Cyberpunk 2 will need more than bullet-time and chrome upgrades. It’ll need heart, world-building, and fewer NPCs T-posing into the void.
For now, we wait, but this time, with cautious excitement. After all, nothing screams “next-gen dystopia” like starting fresh with a new pipeline and hopefully fewer bugs than a netrunner’s back alley.
