Since the confirmation from CD Projekt Red that a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 was in development, players have speculated what features the developers might include in order to differentiate the project from both the first game and its upcoming DLC expansion Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. One of the key areas that will likely receive a significant upgrade is that of the narrative, with the potential sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 possibly taking a hard turn into science fiction and social commentary after the assumed success of other sci-fi franchises like Bethesda's upcoming Starfield. In leaning into science fiction, the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 can use science fact as inspiration.
While the near-future setting of Cyberpunk 2077 allowed for developers to craft a narrative that dabbled in addressing topics such as body modification and the dangers of late-stage capitalism, the years since its release have only served to establish a real world that is increasingly ubiquitous with technology. The push of tech companies to create advanced AI as well as medical breakthroughs in de-aging and cybernetic enhancement have turned what was once fantasy into reality, leading to concerns over how technological advancement may impact humankind. With the codenamed "Project Orion" years away from release, the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel could adapt real-world current events into compelling in-game plot points.
Humanity's Race Toward Advanced AI Could Influence Project Orion's Story
One of the best side quests in Cyberpunk 2077 involved V's tracking down of rogue AI to return them to the Delamain HQ. The quest concludes with a difficult choice that ultimately impacts the ending of the game in significant ways, with V having to choose between destroying the rogue intelligences or merging them with the Delamain AI. While the world of the first Cyberpunk game and the tabletop RPG that was its inspiration were designed based on a reality where artificial intelligence were science fiction, the intervening years have seen the development of increasingly advanced AI that are calling the future of the labor market into question as well as raising concerns over where this venture into advanced artificial intelligence will land humanity.
Few can predict with any certainty how the new advancements in AI will impact humanity in the long run, but in drawing from current and relevant science fact to influence its narrative, Cyberpunk 2077's sequel should definitely address what is possibly one of the biggest scientific quandaries of modern day. Considering that the first game's inclusion of Johnny Silverhand as the proverbial "ghost in the machine" already touched on the concept of digital consciousness and life existing beyond the corporeal, the sequel should address the possibility of technological singularity as a result of unrestricted AI growth.
Cyberpunk 2077's Sequel Could Veer Into Body Horror
Outside of tattoos and piercings, the other main body modification available to players in Cyberpunk 2077 was that of cyberware - cybernetic enhancements to the physical body that grant extraordinary human abilities. In the early moments of the game's campaign, players are introduced to a gang called Maelstrom who are humans that have taken cyberware and cybernetic enhancements to their absolute extreme. V and other Cyberpunk characters have cyberware modifications but they are still recognizable as being mostly human, which cannot be said about the members of Maelstrom.
Recent medical and scientific breakthroughs have made concepts such as de-aging and cybernetic enhancement of mind and body a possible reality, giving rise to ethical and moral questions regarding the significant modification and disruption of natural human lifespans. Given that the first game has already addressed the issue of maintaining humanity in the face of willingly swapping body parts for machine ones, the sequel should take this idea one step further and lean in Cronenberg-esque body horror in at least one of its side quests. With a long wait before Project Orion's release, as well as the exponential growth curve of technology, Cyberpunk 2077's sequel may be drawing more from reality than science fiction for its narrative.
Project Orion is in development.