Is Project Orion CDPR’s Golden Goose, or the Canary in the Coal Mine?
Interest in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 has been reignited with the release of patch 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty DLC. In fact, as of the last quarter of 2023, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has sold over 5 million copies. In a prior article, we discussed CD Projekt Red’s ongoing efforts to address the flaws of the base game, while continuing to optimize it beyond the Phantom Liberty DLC.
Now, it seems those efforts have been realized, and a new mysterious project codenamed Orion is in the works. However, can CDPR really pull off a sequel title after its last disastrous launch?
What Do We Know About Project Orion?
So far, details on Project Orion are scarce, but we do know a few things. Firstly, the game was announced in October 2022, and it appears that the development process has officially begun.
As of last week, CDPR published a press release revealing the addition of several new team members, who have also worked on a variety of popular AAA titles. These new team members include Executive Producer Dan Hernberg, Design Director Ryan Barnard, Engineering Director Alan Villani, Lead Writer Anna Megill, and Co-Writer Alexander Freed. That said, hiring is still ongoing for this project across CDPR’s Boston and Vancouver branches.
Concerning the gameplay details, we don’t yet know the year that it'll take place in or who the central protagonist will be. Cyberpunk 2077 gave us four potential main endings: The Devil, The Sun, The Star, and Temperance. Each of these epilogues have slight variations, but they all ultimately end with V, the main character, having only a short amount of time left to live.
However, the Phantom Liberty DLC introduced a fifth ending known as The Tower. This epilogue results in V finding a cure for their deteriorating condition. Unfortunately, this is after having woken up from a two-year coma and realizing that everyone they knew has moved on without them.
With that in mind, CDPR could end up keeping V as the central protagonist or giving us a new one altogether. After all, Night City is full of stories waiting to be told, so the possibilities are endless.
Why Did Cyberpunk 2077 Have Such a Messy Launch?
Cyberpunk 2077’s launch was the definition of oversold and underdelivered. Given the scale of everything that went wrong, it’s likely that there were issues behind the scenes involving management and marketing.
Although, we can also attribute some problems to the challenges that come with creating cross-gen titles. In a video released by CDPR Co-Founder Marcin Iwiński, he alludes to those struggles in the following statements:
In the game, everything is not stretched out over flat terrain where we can make things less taxing hardware-wise, but condensed in one big city and in a relatively loading-free environment. On its own, this is a challenge, but we made it even more difficult for ourselves by wanting to make the game look epic on PCs and then adjusting it to consoles — especially old-gens. That was our core assumption. And things did not look super difficult at first. We knew the hardware gap, yes, but ultimately, I think that time has proven that we’ve underestimated the task.
Based on those comments, it seems to be a typical case of a game developer biting off more than they can chew. However, when you look at how well the game was marketed leading up to its release, with no indicator of anything being wrong, you can’t help but question why there wasn’t more communication.
For those of you who may not know, Cyberpunk 2077 was delayed three times before its official release on December 10, 2020. Each time the game was delayed, there was never a real answer given as to why. In spite of that, fans continued to show support for the project. Most were even going as far as to rationalize the delays, stating that longer development times would lead to a better product.
In the end, all those problems cascaded in the form of an unfinished game with bugs, glitches, and rampant unplayability. It’s obvious that the project scope was more than what CDPR could handle. What’s more, when you look at how well the company hid these problems, even as the preorders were racking up, it makes it very hard to trust CDPR moving forward.
Even though Cyberpunk 2077 has finally become what it was originally meant to be, it’s taken almost four years to get to that point. With the Phantom Liberty DLC still being a fresh reminder of what CDPR has had to own up to, should we be cautious with Project Orion?
Can CDPR Redeem Itself With a Follow-Up Sequel?
Personally, even though the scar of Cyberpunk 2077’s launch still lingers, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t somewhat enjoy the experience. Even with the clear signs of unfinished development, you could see the vision that CDPR had in mind for the game.
Furthermore, we can’t deny the work that CDPR has put into restoring its reputation thus far. With everything that’s happened before, especially with the dent in the company’s image, making a fumble with Project Orion would probably spell the end for CDPR.
However, we also can’t forget that this same company is responsible for some of the greatest hits in gaming, like The Witcher series. It’s a shame that a developer with such a good track record can ruin itself with one bad launch. Although, I think it ultimately served as a learning experience for both CDPR and the fanbase.
On one hand, the game developers need to understand the limitations and scope of what they’re working on. Above all, though, they need to be more transparent. There’s no reason why internal issues that were impacting the game’s development weren’t made known to the community. On the other hand, perhaps the community should dial back the blind faith in some of these AAA studios and stop ignoring glaring red flags.
Everything considered, I think CDPR is taking the development of Project Orion very seriously. If the state of Cyberpunk 2077 post-Phantom Liberty serves as the foundation for a sequel, then the team is already off to a good start.
Of course, if CDPR manages to overcome the inevitable cross-gen hurdles, I think they have a strong chance of success. Although, that’s assuming CDPR even decides to make Project Orion playable on older consoles in the first place. It’s very possible that they’d focus on next-gen consoles only, eliminating any technological barriers altogether. That said, redemption is definitely possible, but my expectations are tempered.
Conclusion
It’ll be a long while until we get any significant details regarding Project Orion. In the meantime, though, Cyberpunk 2077 offers some amazing replay value. With the game in its revamped condition, there’s an entire world between the Street Kid, Corpo, and Nomad lifepaths to discover. I must admit, I’m a tad jealous that new players will have the playthrough some of us didn’t get, but I’m also relieved for them.
Wrapping up, I’d love to hear your opinions on a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. Do you think CDPR has the tools for a successful launch with Project Orion? Has the Phantom Liberty DLC restored some of your faith in CDPR? Are there any features or plot elements you’d like to see in Project Orion that we didn’t see in Cyberpunk 2077?
If you‘d like to keep the conversation going, comment on this article. Alternatively, you can subscribe to me at ‘Keith Price’ to get my takes on everything related to Gaming, Tech, and the DCU!
References
CD Projekt Red. (December 3, 2020). GLOBAL RELEASE TIMINGS. Retrieved from https://forums.cdprojektred.com/index.php?threads/global-release-timings.11039786/#post-12266210
CD Projekt Red. (August 19, 2022). 20 YEARS OF CD PROJEKT RED: DID YOU KNOW? #7 — THE LOGO. Retrieved from https://forums.cdprojektred.com/index.php?threads/20-years-of-cd-projekt-red-did-you-know-7-the-logo.11105909/
CD Projekt Red. (February 6, 2024). Cyberpunk 2077 Follow-up, codenamed Project Orion, grows in strength at CD PROJEKT RED North America. Retrieved from https://press.cdprojektred.com/en/news/1531/cyberpunk-2077-follow-up-codenamed-project-orion-grows-in-strength-at-cd-projekt-red-north-america
Twitter. (October 4, 2022). CD PROJEKT RED. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/CDPROJEKTRED/status/1577317892969857026/photo/1
Twitter. (January 4, 2024). Cyberpunk Game. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/CyberpunkGame/status/1742943127520809303
YouTube. (January 13, 2021). Cyberpunk 2077 — Our Commitment to Quality. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3V4UBZmC9o
