Cyberpunk 2077 Developer Growth Suggests CD Projekt Red Is Preparing a Major Sequel

CD Projekt Red has grown its development teams throughout 2025, and this trend has sparked wide speculation about the next chapter in the Cyberpunk franchise. Reports from Jeux d'initiés confirm that the studio hired more than sixty new developers during the spring and early summer period. This expansion increased the Cyberpunk team from roughly one hundred developers to more than one hundred thirty, a scale that strongly suggests preparation for a major project. WindowsCentral supported this observation and revealed that Cyberpunk 2077 has now surpassed thirty five million copies sold, a milestone that reinforces CD Projekt Red’s financial confidence in building a large scale sequel.

Growing Teams and Expanding Project Scope

The recent job listings provide additional insight into how CD Projekt Red intends to shape the future of Cyberpunk. According to GamingBolt, the studio is recruiting senior world designers, narrative designers, VFX artists and engineers who specialize in high performance technical systems. These roles indicate active work across world creation, cinematic pipelines and systemic design. GamesRadar noted that several openings reference online systems and multiplayer technology, which suggests that the studio is at least exploring possibilities beyond offline single player play. Although CD Projekt Red has not confirmed any multiplayer elements, the listings reveal an ambition that reaches beyond small scale updates.

Additional context comes from The Verge, which confirmed that the Cyberpunk sequel known internally as Project Orion entered pre production earlier this year. This stage typically involves establishing the world layout, narrative direction, engine technology and system foundations. Hiring aggressively at this point often signals a move toward full production, a shift that aligns with the large number of confirmed new employees. The combination of team growth and early development work strongly suggests that CD Projekt Red is positioning Project Orion as a full scale sequel with modernized features and deeper systems than those seen in the original Cyberpunk 2077.

Signals of a Larger Vision

The scale of expansion matters because CD Projekt Red appears to be building a broader and more sophisticated vision of Night City. Improving AI behavior, expanding city simulation, refining crowd systems and enhancing world reactivity all require large teams with specialized skills. The presence of VFX roles and cinematic pipeline positions hints at a stronger visual direction, while the online engineering listings could point to experiments with cooperative systems, persistent features or other connected elements. While no official details exist, these signs create expectations for an ambitious RPG that attempts to resolve past criticisms and push the franchise into a more technically advanced era.

The community response reflects a mix of growing optimism and measured caution. Many fans hope that the sequel will deepen role playing systems, expand mission structure and improve open world density. Others remain focused on core improvements involving NPC behavior, environmental reactivity and police systems. The visible development progress has revived enthusiasm for Cyberpunk, but players also want CD Projekt Red to maintain transparency and avoid the pitfalls that affected the original launch. For now, the hiring momentum and early development confirmation provide enough evidence to suggest that Cyberpunk will return with a stronger foundation and a larger creative vision.

What Comes Next

CD Projekt Red has not announced a reveal date for Project Orion, and a full showcase is unlikely until the sequel reaches a more mature production phase. However, the combination of expanded staffing, public job listings and verified pre production work all point toward an extended development cycle that is already underway. Fans should expect the next major update when the studio finalizes core systems and establishes a clear presentation strategy. Until then, the hiring surge remains the clearest indicator that Cyberpunk is entering its next major chapter, and that CD Projekt Red aims to deliver an ambitious successor to one of the most talked about RPGs of the last decade.