A Cyberpunk 2077 sequel is inevitable, but CD Projekt Red shouldn’t start all over again. Here’s why reusing Night City is the best course of action for the studio.
Beyond the narratives CD Projekt Red has woven, Night City is a marvel unto itself. Cyberpunk 2077 is filled with incredible vistas of imposing towers that blot out the sky and the slums nestled at their bases. The game takes players throughout the boroughs of Night City, but even throughout V’s expansive adventure, much of it remains untapped. Despite the critical acclaim, CD Projekt Red isn’t exactly prolific. The studio’s focus on open-world epics precludes a quick development cycle. Cyberpunk 2077 spent around 4-5 years in active development (including several delays), and DLC is currently in the pipe that will add more content to the already jam-packed game. However, given how big Night City is, it will likely remain mostly unexplored in the narrative, even once current content plans have come to fruition. This gives CD Projekt Red a chance to change its development paradigm for the sequel. Instead of starting Cyberpunk 2 (or Cyberpunk 2078) from scratch, CD Projekt Red should take a page from the Yakuza series.
