Cyberpunk 2077 sequel is in the "conceptual phase," but might ramp up production this year as its devs consider multiplayer elements

gamesradar.com:

The Cyberpunk 2077 sequel might still be in the conceptual phase, but CD Projekt is eyeing ramping up production later this year - and is considering multiplayer features for the new game.

That's according to co-CEOs Adam Badowski and Michal Nowakowski, speaking to Reuters in a new interview. Badowski revealed that the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, which is still going by the codename "Orion," is still in the "conceptual phase," which means it isn't in active development yet.

However, Badowski said CD Projekt aims to have 80 people working on the sequel by the end of 2024. This indicates that the developer expects the sequel to graduate from pre-production by the end of the year, where it's being primarily developed in Boston instead of Poland.

Nowakowski added that the developer was "considering" multiplayer elements for the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, but wouldn't elaborate further. This means Orion could well feature the multiplayer side of Cyberpunk 2077 that was eventually scrapped in favor of it being a strictly single-player RPG.

The joint CEO also added that CD Projekt has formed a team to investigate using AI in some form. "We think that AI is something that can help improve certain processes in game production, but not replace people," Nowakowski said in the interview.

Badowski finally added that he believes CD Projekt has "better control" over game production, and that the developer will "avoid a premiere like the one we faced with Cyberpunk 2077." Hopefully, this means a smoother development process for Orion, with no periods of crunch or delays.

The CD Projekt leaders also revealed that The Witcher 4 will enter full production this year , and they want 400 people working on the game by the middle of the year.