Mike Pondsmith Reveals CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel Will Feature Second City, Describes It As "Chicago Gone Wrong"
Mike Pondsmith, the creator of the Cyberpunk TTRPG, which was adapted into Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red, shared new details about the developer’s plans for a sequel.
During an appearance at the Digital Dragons conference in Poland, Pondsmith shared, “Last week I was wandering around talking to different departments and seeing what they have. … I spent a lot of time talking to one of the environment guys and he was explaining how the new place in Orion, ‘cause there’s another city we visit. Not telling you anymore than that, but there is another city we visit. Night City is still there.”
“And I remember looking at it and going, ‘Yeah, I understand the feel that you’re going for this and this really does work and it doesn’t feel like Blade Runner. It feels more like Chicago gone wrong.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I can see this working.’
Interestingly, Pondsmith’s comments come after CD Projekt Red Associate Game Director Pawel Sasko revealed that the first game was not dystopian after he had visited multiple cities in California.
During an appearance on CD Projekt Red’s AnsweRED Podcast, Sasko said, “Being from Europe is like interesting. I sometimes feel like I’m in a camera and some other reality and just observing and taking snapshots.”
He then recalled, “Like, I remember us traveling a couple of times to, you know, LA, San Francisco when working on Cyberpunk and then after we sort of did the game, we shipped it, and I did even more traveling now when I’m in U.S. I see that we didn’t push the envelope far enough in some places.”
As an example, he pointed to the homeless crisis in California, “For instance, let’s say the homeless crisis, you know, and so on. Like when I look at it, I’m like we weren’t like far enough in ’77. We thought that we were like dystopian, but we just touched the surface.”
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Executive Producer Dan Hernberg, who is working with Sasko on Project Orion then added, “You’re like, we had one homeless person in a tent somewhere. Yes! And an American’s like, ‘Wow! That’s like, you know, nothing. Like, you need a whole city, you know.'”
“So it is very different in some of these areas where even when I played Cyberpunk, that you kind of see these things like that. And you’re like, ‘Wait.’ Someone’s like, ‘Oh, that’s really bad.’ And you’re like, ‘No, that’s barely scratching the surface of the differences. These subtle differences.'”
Sasko then replied, “Exactly. We thought like, ‘Oh yeah, we are being edgy, you know, with all that stuff.’ And I’m like my walk to the train every day is more edgy sometimes.”
What do you make of Pondsmith’s comments?
Hahah! So he's going to depict it as it already is then? I mean, given its horrendous gun crime levels Chicago is already a 'city gone wrong'.
The fact he only began to see how bad California and San Fran are when he actually visited them shows how oblivious these people are. They only watch 'approved' news stations, the ones that ignore the problems in Democrat run places and that only criticise Conservatives.
"We thought that we were like dystopian, but we just touched the surface.”
LOL reality is worse than your dysoptian vision. Tell me you live a sheltered life without saying you live a sheltered life. (I do too, but I openly recognize it...and prefer it that way.)