A prequel for Cyberpunk 2077 ought to be something.
One of the most immersive games ever produced, Cyberpunk 2077 has players wondering where the narrative might next turn. The IP spans several media, including highly regarded Cyberpunk: Edgerunners show and fresh books. With so much material available on so many platforms, CD Projekt Red's forthcoming sequel, codenamed Orion, has the possibility to veers in many different directions.
For most people, Johnny Silverhand—played by Keanu Reeves—truly steals the show even with the great variety of finely crafted backstories and incredible motion-capture acting. He is the most unforgettable character in the game because of his strict attitude and unwavering loyalty to his cause; a sequel without him would be much missed. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty boasts the gameplay to match and its erratic spy-thrilling narrative is full of amazing events.
The Sequel for Cyberpunk 2077 Should Be a Prequel
Cyberpunk 2077 does a good job of developing the backstory before V takes over as the protagonist via flashbacks in which players assume the iconic metal-armed rocker. People thus get to enjoy Johnny's band, Samurai, in its whole. Including some past and present characters like Kerry Eurodyne is a great addition; the whole show makes V feel like she belongs with at least a few guitar shredding sections.
Though scattered over the game, most of this experience is contained in brief flashes that stray from the main narrative and yet manage to give more background for current events. This creates the ideal starting point for a sequel whereby the player could represent one of the Samurai members. The band has to perform the largest gig of the year, maybe one day Kerry falls ill or maybe Arasaka abducts Bes Isis or Denny. Going back to Johnny's heyday and playing with the band as a no-named Streetkid could be the formula for a Cyberpunk sequel that can explore the past while yet introducing new ideas, story beats, and gameplay mechanics, regardless of the scenario.
A Cyberpunk Where You Play Only As Johnny Would Be a Mistook
While it would be tempting to want to pretend to be Keanu Reeves once more and just straight-out play Cyberpunk as Silverhand, this would probably be a mistake for more reasons than one. Cyberpunk 2077 exposed players to V, or the player-character that can be customized in practically every manner, allowing one to inhabit the roles of either a Streetkid, Corpo, or Nomad. Though the backgrounds of Cyberpunk 2077 don't really affect the game as much as one would believe, they all relate to role-playing and give a good sense of player choice and customizing.
Ignoring this idea and choosing another already-proven character such as Johnny Silverhand or even another Samurai member would be a grave error and diminish player identity. This is why the sequel should preserve the DNA that made the first so outstanding and introduce another character like V in Orion.
Too polarizing for a main character, Johnny Silverhand is
Cyberpunk 2077's dialogue and available choices are another feature that makes it so outstanding. Cyberpunk 2077 offers a good range of choices that really count, and this relates to the fact that the player-operated character is rather literally whoever the player wants them to be. Though this is a gross oversimplification of his persona, Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077 was always in favor of doing the most rebellious thing—especially if that meant messing with Arasaka, which would most certainly lead to a rather limited array of dialogue options in most circumstances. Having said that, these also contribute to make him such an interesting and entertaining friend.
V Is Dead.
The path one follows in the several endings of Cyberpunk 2077 will define whether a sequel featuring the character could even be feasible. Having said that, this choice would also be a mistake since Cyberpunk 2077 seems to be a whole narrative from start to finish, with all its launch flaws and ongoing improvements over the years. While some endings—like "The Star," and "The Sun—would suggest that V's story had another chapter, other endings—like "Temperance—see V's story come to an end."
Though Cyberpunk 2077 does not have an official canon ending, a sequel game featuring V would invalidate at least some of these endings, so depriving some people of their concept of player agency. Worse, retreading past ground could feel iterative of the first title, whereas the first game feels revolutionary in some respects. A game with a new protagonist learning about V's exploits would be a far more fascinating and creative use of the character even if Cyberpunk 2077 Orion carries on the story following the events of V's rampage across Night City.
Know About Cyberpunk 2077 Orion
Though CD Projekt has given players few and far between hints, CD Projekt did confirm in the 2022 post on X that the beginning conceptual stages were under progress. Although the company's quotation of "potential of this dark future universe" does not indicate whether that comment relates to the timeline of the first game -- with a great degree of ambiguity on the general development of the project.
In a January 2024 interview with Reuters, CEO Adam Badowski hinted at the possibility for multiplayer components in the next Witcher game, codenamed Polaris, even though the development teams seem to be giving top priority for other aspects. Most recently in February, CDPR revealed they would be bringing industry veterans from companies including Blizzard Entertainment, Amazon Games, Ubisoft, and others. Heading the development for the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel in their North American Boston and Vancouver studio sites are these fresh hires.
Source: Reuters, CD PROJEkt Red, CD PROJEkt Red
