While Cyberpunk 2077’s open world is impressive, its NPC crowds left a lot to be desired when it came to reactivity and interactivity.

While the post-launch support for Cyberpunk 2077 has been exceptional, CD Projekt RED is focused on the sequel, codenamed Project Orion. Job postings on the studio’s website indicate that it is staffing up for the same, with some of the job descriptions indicating an ambitious open world.

One of the openings is for a lead encounter designer, the description of which indicates that CD Projekt RED wants to have even more realistic and reactive NPCs crowds than the studio has previously featured in its other games. The job will also involve developing experiences that would account for “divergent experiences” that can allow multiple playstyles.

One of the responsibilities is to “work in close collaboration with the systems design team to create the most realistic and reactive crowd system in any game to date.”

Since Project Orion is still in deep development, we currently don’t know what level of detail we can expect from the NPC crowds in the game. It was announced by CD Projekt in 2022.

While details on the story, setting, and more remain unknown, the project will showcase the “full power and potential of the Cyberpunk universe.”

CD Projekt RED has continued to staff up for Project Orion since then, with February 2024 bringing developers that have previously worked at major studios, including Ubisoft Massive, Blizzard, BioWare and WB Games. As of July 2024, former associate narrative director on Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Wolverine had also joined the team.

Project Orion is developed on Unreal Engine 5. At the time, the studio was working on what it referred to as the game’s “conceptual design” stage. Lead quest designer Pawel Sasko noted that there was plenty of work for the studio to do in terms of getting to grips with Unreal Engine 5 and its various features.

Aside from this and many other projects, CD Projekt RED is also working on The Witcher 4. Unveiled during The Game Awards back in December, the RPG will feature Ciri as its primary protagonist. Traditional series protagonist Geralt of Rivia will also appear, however, and his voice actor has referred to the idea of Ciri being the main character as “a really good move”.

The Witcher 4 is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. When asked whether it would also feature fan-favourite The Witcher 3 side activity Gwent, executive producer Gosia Mitręga said that players will not be disappointed with the upcoming game in this regard.