Cyberpunk 2077's highly anticipated sequel, now known officially as Cyberpunk 2 and formerly operating under the codename Project Orion at CD Projekt Red, has received another intriguing development update as work continues on the ambitious follow-up.
Although an official release window remains unconfirmed, the sequel is expected to follow CDPR's upcoming Witcher 4, which is currently targeting a 2028 launch. However, development on both franchises is already happening simultaneously, with CDPR steadily expanding its Cyberpunk 2 team as the project progresses.
While Cyberpunk fans were recently treated to a surprise update introducing a trove of free Edgerunners 2 content and major gameplay improvements to the original game, players are understandably eager to learn more about the highly anticipated sequel. However, during the Edgerunners 2 announcement event, we got a major update on Cyberpunk 2's development that you may have missed during all the excitement, as well as a look at what's expected in the next game.
According to one of the lead developers on Cyberpunk 2, associate game director Paweł Sasko (via TweakTown), a surprisingly large portion of the sequel's quest development team consists of former modders who previously worked on CD Projekt Red's games. During a recent REDstreams presentation discussing Cyberpunk 2077's Update 2.5, Sasko revealed that approximately half of the developers responsible for creating quests for the upcoming sequel originally got their start making fan-created mods.
Interestingly, many of these developers were already creating mods long before Cyberpunk 2077 was released, having previously worked on The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3 as well. Discussing how modding can provide an entry point into professional game development, Sasko explained: "They were all modders before [Cyberpunk 2077] of The Witcher 3, Witcher 2, you know, before, and you know we hired them, and they're part of our company, and it's a wonderful way to actually start your career and really learn and see how to actually build those things."
It's an encouraging revelation for fans who have spent years enjoying the countless community-created projects available for CDPR's games, and will be a ray of hope that the next game will launch in a much better state than the original, which famously suffered tremendously from bugs and performance issues. Modders have consistently demonstrated their ability to expand existing experiences with relatively minimal performance problems, introducing everything from gameplay overhauls and visual improvements to entirely new missions and story-driven content.
More importantly, developing these mods often requires considerable technical expertise, creativity, and an understanding of the systems that make complex RPGs function. The fact that CDPR is actively recruiting from this community suggests the studio recognizes the value of those skills, particularly when developing the next generation of its flagship franchises.
For a little more context, Sasko's comments also coincided with Cyberpunk 2077's latest update, which introduced cross-platform mod support, allowing players to browse and install supported community creations directly through the game. The developer believes making mods more accessible could encourage additional players to experiment with creating their own content, potentially opening doors for the next generation of professional devs.
Although Sasko's estimate doesn't necessarily indicate how many former modders are working on Cyberpunk 2 overall, their substantial presence on the quest team is especially noteworthy given how important storytelling was to the original game's success, and gives us a little teaser at the quality of quests in the next game.
Of course, it's too early to know exactly what these developers have planned for the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, particularly since CDPR has yet to reveal any significant details about its narrative. Nevertheless, having some of the franchise's most passionate community creators directly involved in shaping its future certainly gives fans another reason to be optimistic.
