With Phantom Liberty and myriad patches out of the way, the Cyberpunk 2077 franchise can start looking to the future. CD Projekt Red certainly doesn’t have plans to abandon the IP anytime soon, as evidenced by the existence of Project Orion, a code-named sequel to the contentious 2020 sci-fi action-RPG. This is exciting, no doubt, but the enigmatic follow-up also raises quite a few pressing questions.
These questions include, but are not limited to: will V return? In which city will the game be set? And, perhaps most importantly, when will Project Orion take place? Cyberpunk 2077 is firmly rooted in its titular year, which informs all manner of in-universe elements, from the political dynamics of the time, to the various positions of each corporation in their decades-long power struggle, to the state of technological development that forms the backbone of countless gameplay and narrative pillars. And of course, Project Orion‘s temporal setting will determine the answers to various other questions, like whether or not characters from Cyberpunk 2077 will return. Whenever this particular detail is revealed, audiences’ understanding of Project Orion will increase exponentially.
Why Project Orion’s Setting Is so Important
Cyberpunk 2077’s In-Game History Is Inextricable from the Broader Experience
Cyberpunk 2077‘s place in time isn’t arbitrary. It’s set roughly 50 years after the conclusion of the Fourth Corporate War, which was pivotal in a number of lore elements, like the greatly increased power and influence of both Arasaka and Militech, as well as the creation of Soulkiller and the formation of the New United States. Much of Cyberpunk 2077‘s story, world state, and character dynamics can be traced back to this war, which was a definitive turning point in the Cyberpunk world.
Although the Fourth Corporate War is notable, it should be clarified that Cyberpunk‘s timeline diverges from its real-world counterpart decades earlier. Concepts like the Net and advanced cybernetics were already well-established by the time the war began.
Conflicts between characters and entities like Saburo and Yorinobu, Adam Smasher and Johnny Silverhand, and Militech and Arasaka, had their seeds planted during this historical event, and Cyberpunk 2077‘s story, in many ways, is about chickens coming home to roost. This is to say nothing of the complex social, technological, and geopolitical circumstances of Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty, which shape the story and world in innumerable ways. In short, pivoting away from this era could mean wildly different gameplay and narrative elements in Project Orion.
Setting Will Determine Much of Project Orion’s Identity
If Project Orion takes place around the same time as Cyberpunk 2077—for example, if it were to be set directly after the game’s events—it would need to contend with a number of new lore elements. The power balance between Arasaka and Militech may be impacted by the events of the game, with some endings having a greater impact than others, and characters like V, Johnny, and Panam may or may not return, again depending on the ending CD Projekt Red chooses to make canon.
But if Project Orion isn’t set around the same time as Cyberpunk 2077, the possibilities are virtually endless. It could take place during one of the Corporate Wars, for example, allowing its protagonist to be a player in the desperate scramble for power during a pre-NUSA age. Alternatively, it could be set decades after Cyberpunk 2077‘s events, showing what the game’s world would look like with even more unchecked power, social inequality, and humanity-defying cyberware. If Project Orion features a new protagonist, which seems likely, then perhaps this approach would be for the best, as it would untether the sequel to not only the plot of its predecessor, but also its worldbuilding aspects.
- Released
-
December 10, 2020
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
