After Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, CD Projekt Red’s…

Summary

CD Projekt Red is shifting its focus to the next game in The Witcher series and the next chapter of the Cyberpunk 2077 series, exciting fans who are eagerly awaiting the studio's next title.
While Cyberpunk 2077's sequel may stay within Night City, the studio should consider exploring a cyberpunk version of Washington, as it feels like a natural progression of the story and expands upon the cyberpunk government introduced in Phantom Liberty.
The drastic shift in story and location may be jarring for some players, but CD Projekt Red has set the stage with Phantom Liberty and should capitalize on the potential in the next game, even if it means leaving behind Night City and its characters.

While Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty may be a fantastic experience, it also marks the end of Cyberpunk 2077's post-launch content stream. Now, CD Projekt Red is focusing its attention on the next The Witcher game as well as the next chapter of the Cyberpunk 2077 series. Even though nothing has been revealed yet, fans already seem extremely excited to see where that next title takes them next. And while it will be a long time before the studio shares anything, the setting at least seems pretty clear.

Since CD Projekt Red spent so much time building out CP 2077's Night City, there is a strong chance that Cyberpunk 2077's sequel will take place within the confines of the city once more. However, the studio should really consider taking the story somewhere else entirely. Now that Phantom Liberty has spent so much time discussing the NUSA, maybe it is time to actually see a cyberpunk version of Washington. While it may not be as fun or unique as Night City, it feels like the natural progression of the story that the studio is currently telling.

Cyberpunk 2077's Sequel Already Has the Perfect Setting

The main Cyberpunk 2077 story was mostly focused on Night City and its inhabitants. Players got involved in a high-stakes heist, it went terribly, and the rest of the game had them deal with the ramifications of that. This led to a pretty fun unique tale that many will not soon forget. Although some may have thought Phantom Liberty would tell a similar story, CD Projekt Red decided to take the concept in an entirely different direction instead.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty sees players enter the war-torn district of Dogtown to save the actual president of the NUSA from militia forces bent on taking her out. This thrusts players into the role of the chosen one, sees them dealing with all sorts of government agents and embroils them in this massive spy thriller that has them do everything they can to protect President Myers. This may be drastically different from the core Cyberpunk 2077 story, but it is also extremely fun, and CD Projekt Red may want to consider expanding upon it a bit more.

Since players spend their time in Phantom Liberty with the president, there are a lot of conversations regarding Washington and the NUSA. While these conversations make sense within the context of the story, it almost feels like CD Projekt Red is trying to set up future stories involving this cyberpunk government. It is not only expanding the story of Cyberpunk 2077, but it is also exploring a part of the world that players really had not known much about before. And the next game should definitely take the concept even further.

There is a strong chance the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel takes place in Night City or a similar metropolis, yet it does not have to. A lot of open-world franchises tend to head off to new locales with each entry, so there is no reason Cyberpunk could not do the same thing. Specifically, it should actually take players to Washington to show them the state it is in. They could explore the NUSA even more while also fighting their way through a massive new story filled with conspiracy, intrigue, and a lot of sci-fi shenanigans.

Some players may find the drastic shift in story and location a bit jarring after the first game, but Phantom Liberty has set it all up, and now CD Projekt Red just needs to build upon it. It would feel like a missed opportunity if a story like this is simply relegated to DLC as it could take center stage in whatever the studio does next. Even if that means leaving Night City and its characters behind, the potential alone would be worth the sacrifice.