Disarming as It is, Cyberpunk 2077’s Proposed Sequel Title Could Be a Boon

Cyberpunk 2077 and its enduring legacy are ironically only beginning to flourish with a second season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and a sequel currently in early development stages. Plus, with all the substantial patches and updates that the game has received to date, including Cyberpunk 2077’s 2.3 Update, much less its beloved and game-changing Phantom Liberty DLC, the shape of and reception toward Cyberpunk 2077 couldn’t be further from what they were at launch, in the best ways imaginable. And, as the franchise evolves, it’ll be interesting to see what twists and turns it makes.

For example, the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, while simultaneously codenamed Project Orion, is reportedly being dubbed Cyberpunk 2 by CD Projekt Red as it enters pre-production. It’s unclear whether CD Projekt Red will reliably stick with Cyberpunk 2 as the sequel’s title, but, if so, there could be an intriguing implication regarding the series overall, as well as an inherent question about when Cyberpunk 2 could be taking place in the IP’s greater mythos.

Cyberpunk 2077’s Title Plants It in Continuity

In essence, the specificity of the year 2077 is more or less redundant. If never prescribed a particular year, Cyberpunk 2077’s story could be largely unaffected at face value while players enjoy the cybernetic sci-fi world they’re inhabiting. However, for anyone who’s obliged to dive deeper into the overarching narrative’s lore, and certainly the history of Night City—ostensibly discretionary content—it makes sense to stamp a date on the game’s events.

This way, what has occurred in the last three decades can be discerned to reach the condition that the North Californian megacity finds itself in, which is distilled significantly throughout Cyberpunk 2077’s three Lifepath prologues and each setting players may explore. Indeed, now that the dust has settled and a burgeoning landscape has been developed, CD Projekt Red can be free to widen Cyberpunk’s world as much as possible and continue adding more meat to its bones with events that are either set before or after the year 2077.

Cyberpunk 2 Forgoing ‘2077’ Can Push the Brand in a Broader Direction

Conversely, it may no longer be remarkable to know what year a Cyberpunk story takes place in, barring any massively polarizing story choices, be it a prequel or sequel, now that there is a firm comprehension of Night City in place that can be as superficial or elaborate as players need it to be in order to immerse themselves. A direct sequel reprising Cyberpunk 2077’s V, for instance, probably wouldn’t require a timestamp in the title to instantly embed its place in the timeline.

There’s frankly no telling how or when Cyberpunk 2 intends to reinsert players into the dark sci-fi universe CD Projekt Red has conjured. Yet, making that a transparent distinction might not be as impactful anymore. It should always be important or entertaining to learn about how the state of the franchise’s world has been affected by external and internal events, especially when there’s an open world provided to players that’s teeming with rich detail and characters, but Cyberpunk 2077’s worldbuilding would’ve failed its job if it didn’t apply a formidable framework from which CD Projekt Red could withdraw its leash in Cyberpunk 2.

To be fair, a brand-new location, such as Cyberpunk 2’s “Chicago gone wrong,” would likely demand its own hearty helping of rich backstory and environmental storytelling. The only difference, then, is that it may not need to pin itself to a specific year in Cyberpunk’s lore and documented history to achieve that.

Cyberpunk 2077

6/10

Released

December 10, 2020

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

Engine

REDengine 4