Featured Image Credit: CD Projekt Red
Topics: Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red, Unreal Engine
After a turbulent launch, the future of CDPR’s Cyberpunk sci-fi RPG series is certainly looking bright and we couldn't be more excited.
When CD Projekt Red first announced Cyberpunk 2077 all the way back in 2012, followed by an impressive CGI trailer at E3 2013, it got fans of the studio, as well as those of The Witcher series, buzzing with excitement.
We were then treated to a rendered cinematic trailer at E3 2018 which let fans know that Cyberpunk 2077 was going to be CDPR’s next big hit arriving on PC and consoles. Sadly, when the game arrived in 2020 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, it fell well below expectations, especially for last-gen consoles.
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Cyberpunk 2077 was plagued with bugs, performance issues and a lack of promised content. In fact, the sci-fi RPG was considered to have launched in such a poor state, that Sony removed it from the PSN Store.
Cyberpunk 2077 would later return to the PSN Store in 2021, but yet after many patches, it was still far from an ideal state on PS4, as well as on Xbox One. Thankfully, the new-gen update arrived on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in February 2022, and the game was much closer to the one we had been promised during an E3 presentation.
Granted, the game still wasn't perfect, but for the most part, players could not only have a stable experience with Cyberpunk 2077, but an enjoyable one too. At least for PC and new-gen console players.
Now that Cyberpunk 2077 is a game that seems to be living up to its potential, its one and only expansion, Phantom Liberty, was announced in September 2022. This expansion takes players: “once again take on the role of V, a cyberpunk for hire, as they embark on a mission to save the President of the New United States of America after her orbital shuttle is shot down over the deadliest district of Night City — Dogtown.”
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is set to release for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on 26 September 2023. But what does the future hold for the series once that expansion has arrived? We do know that a sequel is on the way and it will begin its development in 2024. Other than that, plus it being dubbed Project Orion, we know very little about the sequel.
However, we have learned something new this week. As reported by PSU.com, during an interview with Bloomberg, CD Projekt Red’s Gabe Amatangelo revealed that the studio plans on developing the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel using Unreal Engine 5.
Previously, Cyberpunk 2077 was developed using CDPR’s in-house software, the REDengine 4. Yet, as with The Witcher remake, the sci-fi RPG sequel will now be powered by Unreal Engine 5. Cyberpunk 2077 is out now on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.