The next Cyberpunk 2077 game, called Project Orion for now, will take players to a brand-new city instead of just staying in Night City with a new “Chicago gone wrong” urban setting. Mike Pondsmith, the creator of the original Cyberpunk tabletop RPG, recently shared some cool details about this new city during an interview at Digital Dragons 2025.
Exploring the “Chicago Gone Wrong” Setting in Cyberpunk 2077
While Night City will still play a big role in the sequel, Mike Pondsmith confirmed that players will also be able to explore a second city with a very different atmosphere. After talking with the game’s artists at CD Projekt Red, he said the new place feels like a twisted version of Chicago, like Chicago gone wrong.
“I spent a lot of time talking to one of the environment guys,” Pondsmith explained. “He was explaining how the new place in Project Orion looks, because there is another city we visit. Night City is still there.” What makes this revelation particularly interesting is how Pondsmith contrasted the new city with Night City’s aesthetic: “It doesn’t feel like Blade Runner—it feels more like Chicago gone wrong. I can see this working.”
Why Chicago with a Dystopian Setting Fits the Cyberpunk Lore
This Chicago-inspired setting connects to existing game lore. In Cyberpunk 2077, advertisements mention a Maglev train line connecting “from Chicago to Night City in under three hours” with service coming in 2080. This suggests the sequel might take place around three years after the events of the original game.
In Cyberpunk lore, Chicago was hit hard during The Collapse and later got even worse when Arasaka dropped a virus bomb on it. By 2077, the city is starting to recover, making it a great place to show a different kind of dystopian world in the sequel.
Project Orion is still in early development, led by CD Projekt Red’s teams in Boston and Vancouver. Since the studio is mainly working on The Witcher 4 right now, Cyberpunk fans will probably have to wait until 2027 or later to explore the two very different cities in the next game.
