CD Projekt Red says its new Boston studio is working on a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, meaning it’s likely to be more authentically American.
Development of the sequel, codenamed Project Orion, is being led by CD Projekt Red’s North American branch, which has studios in Boston and Vancouver.
In the latest episode of the studio’s AnsweRED podcast, discovered by Wccftech, acting executive producer Dan Hunberg said it would make sense for the sequel to be developed in North America.
“I think cyberpunk is definitely a uniquely American story,” he said. “It has a lot of punk energy and is written by an American, so I think it’s perfect to do it in America.”
Deputy Game Director Paweł Sasko then gave an example of one situation where Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t feel American enough.
According to Sasco, the manhole covers in the first game looked more like those used in parts of Europe rather than the United States, where the game is set.
“Like a manhole cover over a road, right?” Sasko said. “There was a post on Reddit that said there was an immersion-breaking bug in Cyberpunk, and that bug had to do with the fact that sewer manhole covers are the ones that are commonly used in pavement in Europe, in Germany.
“That’s not your typical manhole on an American street. This basically shows the difference, right?
“When you go to America, there’s things like fire hydrants. Where are they installed and what do they look like? Streetlights, their locations, trash cans, right? They’re in front of houses. Right next to the street.
“You don’t see it almost anywhere in Poland or Europe. There are so many nuances. Dan, when we talk about it, he calls it Americana.”
“Our roads are different, all our signs are different colors, everything is just a little bit different,” Hernberg added.
“It’s not immersive, but it’s the little things that make you think, ‘Well, maybe this wasn’t made by people who live here or who fully understand American culture.'”
Earlier this year, CD Projekt Red announced that it had hired a number of veteran developers to work on the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, including Hernberg, who previously served as head of production at Amazon Games and Panic Button and as a senior product manager at Blizzard.
Key team members from Cyberpunk 2077 and the Phantom Liberty expansion pack have moved to North America to lead development on the sequel.
