As 2026 unfolds, the gaming world eagerly anticipates the next chapter in the Cyberpunk universe. While the streets of Night City still buzz with the legacy of Cyberpunk 2077, a dedicated team at CD Projekt Red is quietly laying the groundwork for its successor, Project Orion. This journey, however, is not without its hurdles. The most significant shift? Moving from their proprietary REDengine to the industry-standard Unreal Engine 5. For lead quest designer Pawel Sasko and his colleagues, this transition is akin to a seasoned driver learning to pilot a brand-new, hyper-advanced vehicle—familiar in destination, but entirely new in operation.
The Learning Curve: Building New Tools for a Familiar World
Sasko has been candid about the core difficulty. The REDengine wasn't just a piece of software; it was a bespoke toolkit meticulously crafted over years to serve the very specific needs of the Cyberpunk universe. "There's a lot of work to be done when it comes to the toolset specifically," Sasko explained, highlighting that many features they took for granted now need to be recreated or adapted. It's like having a master chef's custom kitchen ripped out and replaced with a state-of-the-art, but generic, culinary lab. They know the recipes for incredible quests and narratives, but first, they have to figure out where Epic Games put the digital spatula and how to fine-tune the new oven.
This foundational work is the crucial, if unglamorous, first step. The team is essentially learning the ropes of Unreal Engine 5 from the ground up, ensuring they can build the game with the same level of detail, reactivity, and atmospheric density that defined Night City. It's a massive undertaking, but one the team is approaching with determination.
Silver Linings and New Partnerships
Despite the challenges, Sasko is quick to point out the significant advantages that come with this switch. Unreal Engine 5 brings with it:
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Cutting-Edge Technology: Access to features like Nanite virtualized geometry and Lumen global illumination, which can push the visual fidelity of the Cyberpunk world to unprecedented levels.
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Industry-Wide Support: A vast ecosystem of documentation, tutorials, and third-party tools that can streamline development in the long run.
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Talent Attraction: Using a common engine makes it easier to onboard new developers who are already proficient in UE5.
Furthermore, this move fosters a new relationship with Epic Games. For CD Projekt Red, known for its in-house tech, collaborating so closely with an engine provider is a novel experience. Yet, Sasko hints it's a smooth partnership, praising Epic's support team. This collaboration could prove invaluable, offering direct lines to the engine's architects as they tailor it to Project Orion's ambitious needs.
The Heart of the Project: A Veteran Crew
Perhaps the most critical factor smoothing this technical transition isn't software, but people. Sasko emphasized a profoundly understated truth in game development: the importance of a cohesive, well-understood team. Retaining the core group from Cyberpunk 2077 is their secret weapon.
Why the Core Team Matters:
| Aspect | Benefit for Project Orion |
| :--- | :--- |
| Shared Vision | A unified understanding of the Cyberpunk tone, themes, and quality bar. |
| Established Trust | Efficient communication and the ability to critique and build without friction. |
| Institutional Memory | Knowledge of what worked, what didn't, and how to solve the unique problems of this universe. |
This team's shared history means they can focus on conquering the new engine, not on learning to work with each other. They carry the soul of Night City with them, which will be essential in recreating its magic within a new technical framework. Currently, the team is deliberately small, focusing on pre-production to nail down that clear, unified vision before scaling up. It's a smart, patient approach—getting the blueprint perfect before starting construction.
Glimpses of the Future: What Might Change?
While details on Project Orion are scarcer than a peaceful moment in the Combat Zone, Sasko has let slip a few intriguing hints that the sequel may boldly differentiate itself. The most notable revelation? The perspective is still up for debate. The team hasn't decided whether players will experience the next adventure through a first-person or third-person lens. This is a fundamental design choice that will shape everything from combat and exploration to cinematic storytelling. It's a big question mark, and honestly, it's pretty exciting they're even asking it. It suggests a willingness to rethink core assumptions to best serve the new story they want to tell.
So, while the switch to Unreal Engine 5 presents a formidable "how" challenge, the "who"—the veteran team—remains steadfast, and the "what" is intriguingly open-ended. The path to the next Cyberpunk is a story of adaptation, where familiar creators are mastering unfamiliar tools to build upon a beloved legacy. The lights of the next city are still on the horizon, but the engineers are deep in the trenches, wiring a whole new grid. The wait continues, but the foundations are being laid with a mix of hard-earned wisdom and new-school tech.