We did a little impromptu survey on Reddit, asking since they are moving to the Unreal engine, and have to re-build the map as a result, do they take this opportunity to move Project Orion (Cyberpunk 2) to a new location?
While we didn't get enough replies to consider the poll scientific, in the few dozen posts in the thread, it did imply some things. Pretty much every reply we saw said something to the effect that Night City still had a lot to offer and for the sequel to stay in NC. It VERY overwhelming number in favor of Night City in fact. While some did say they would appreciate a new location future tense they also felt NC was the place to be short term. Here are a handful of replies to our inquiry;
KingKaos420; Night City is very unique within the lore of Cyberpunk 2077. It’s basically a sovereign nation that sits within the United States, and can often be considered a “neutral zone” for many groups. As much as I’d love to see more cities within this universe, none of them will have quite the backstory Night City does.
TheRockManGuy: I remember Pondsmith making a vague mention of wanting CDPR to go beyond Night City with the immense lore the rest of the world of Cyberpunk has... However I agree, it would be a damn shame NOT to return to the City of Dreams with so much left untapped in 77. Expanding to other locations like space, the badlands, even as far as Arizona and further developing Night City in the Unreal Engine would be perfect
SLICKEVAN; They didn’t do night city justice. Need a fully fleshed out night city before we can move on. A big thing being casinos, and flying cars. I would like a cyberpunk game set in a different country. Maybe another diverse city like Istanbul or London.
Notlookingsohot; Best case scenario would be Night City with an extended badlands with maybe another city out there, or possibly just nomad settlements to make it less barren. After the work they put into Night City, I just can't see the sequel abandoning it (entirely anyway), but the move to Unreal REALLY complicates things, like how are they gonna port the whole ass city to a new engine? It isn't a rinky dink little thing after all, its possibly the most complex city ever seen in a AAA RPG.