Cyperpunk 2 goes beyond Night City to a new location that "feels more like Chicago gone wrong," according to the creator of the original tabletop RPG
Cyberpunk 2 – currently only officially known by the codename Project Orion – was officially announced way back in 2022, but the devs at CD Projekt Red have spent the past few years being pretty reticent to reveal any details about the new game. But Mike Pondsmith, creator of the original tabletop RPG that the games are based on, has just let slip a few new details on Project Orion's setting.
During an interview presented at the Digital Dragons conference earlier today, Pondsmith said he's "not as involved directly" with Project Orion has he was with Cyberpunk 2077, but also that he recently visited the devs at CDPR. "I was wandering around talking to different departments and seeing what they had," Pondsmith explained, offering his opinions on features like new cyberware.
"I spent a lot of time talking to one of the environment guys," Pondsmith continued. "He was explaining how the new place in Orion, because there's another city we visit – I'm not telling you any more than that, but there's another city we visit."
You can see this moment for yourself at the 3:45:47 mark in the video above, and the brief hesitation Pondsmith has really makes it feel like he's revealed a bit more about the game than he was supposed to. Nonetheless, he went on to give us a few more details.
"Night City's still there," Pondsmith said. "But I remember looking at and going 'yeah, I understand the feel that you're going for in this, and this really does work.' It doesn't feel like Blade Runner. It feels more like Chicago gone wrong. I said 'yeah, I can see this working.'"
Rumors and fan theories have persisted for years that the Cyberpunk sequel might go to Chicago, but it now seems certain that even if the game doesn't go to the Windy City itself, it is going someplace very similar.
Here are all the upcoming CD Projekt Red games you need to know about.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Engadget
2 hours ago
- Engadget
MindsEye dev warns staff about layoffs amid talk of saboteurs and 'relaunch'
Microsoft isn't the only gaming company talking about layoffs this week. MindsEye developer Build a Rocket Boy (BARB) notified around 300 employees that they risk losing their jobs. However, the drama doesn't end there. The studio has reportedly blamed saboteurs for its woes… again. BARB workers posted on LinkedIn this week about receiving "risk of redundancy" emails. (That followed confirmation last month that the company formally began a layoff process.) Unfortunately, layoffs are par for the course these days. As for the rest of BARB's story? That's where things get weird. IGN reported that BARB founder Leslie Benzies addressed staff in a video call this week. (He's a former Rockstar North president and GTA producer.) Benzies is said to have blamed BARB's and MindsEye 's problems on internal and external saboteurs. That echoes comments made by co-CEO Mark Gerhard ahead of MindsEye 's launch. He claimed pre-release negative feedback was "100 percent" financed by someone. Who did Gerhard blame? Well, he didn't say outright. But he seemed to hint that Rockstar was involved. "Doesn't take much to guess who," he said. (Benzies departed the GTA developer on rocky terms, legal disputes in tow.) In yesterday's call, Benzies also reportedly vowed to relaunch MindsEye . That's a tough trick to pull off. Just look at the industry's few success stories. Final Fantasy XIV is part of an established franchise that has been a gaming household name for decades. And then you have titles like No Man's Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 that were gradually updated. They both arrived with considerably more interest from the gaming world than MindsEye . The latter's appeal largely came from Benzies' involvement. Will that even carry much weight after all the drama surrounding the launch? That isn't to say MindsEye couldn't improve dramatically and find a following. The single-player action-adventure game has a noticeable GTA influence, which will appeal to many. Criticism was aimed at its bugs (fixable), well-worn storyline (greedy humans and robot armies) and gameplay (drive, shoot, repeat). But it also has impressive cinematics and a tight linear arc. A tighter, bug-free version could scratch an itch for fans of Cyberpunk and Watch Dogs. MindsEye is also published by IO Interactive, which worked on Hitman: World of Assassination for years after launch. If BARB can hustle to regain players' trust, perhaps it could at least live to fight another day. Still, MindsEye 's list of ingredients doesn't exactly scream "gamers will come back." And with around 300 fewer employees working on it, that's an even taller order.
News24
4 hours ago
- News24
Every dog has its day: Adze sniffs out suspect after shop owner shot, robbed
Be among those who shape the future with knowledge. Uncover exclusive stories that captivate your mind and heart with our FREE 14-day subscription trial. Dive into a world of inspiration, learning, and empowerment. You can only trial once.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Intel might axe the 18A process node for foundry customers, essentially leaving TSMC with no rival — Intel reportedly to focus on 14A (Updated)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Lip-Bu Tan, the chief executive of Intel, is considering stopping the promotion of the company's 18A fabrication technology (1.8nm-class) to foundry customers, instead shifting the company's efforts to its next-generation 14A manufacturing process (1.4nm-class) in a bid to secure orders from large customers like Apple or Nvidia, reports Reuters. If this shift in focus occurs, it would be the second node in a row that Intel has deprioritized. The proposed adjustment could result in major financial consequences and alter the trajectory of Intel's foundry operations, as it will effectively withdraw the company from the foundry market for several years. Intel informs us that the information is based on market speculation. However, the spokesperson provided some additional insight on the company's roadmap, which we've added further below.'We are not going to comment on market rumors and speculation," an Intel spokesperson said to Tom's Hardware. "As we have said previously, we are committed to strengthening our roadmap, delivering for our customers and improving our financial position for the future." After taking the helm in March, Lip-Bu Tan announced intentions to cut costs in April, which is expected to involve layoffs and the cancellation of certain projects. According to the new report, by June, he began sharing with colleagues that the 18A manufacturing process — a technology designed to showcase Intel's manufacturing prowess — was losing appeal to outside customers, which is why he believed it made sense for the company to shift away from offering 18A and its performance-enhanced 18A-P version to foundry customers. Instead, Lip-Bu Tan proposed directing more resources to the completion and promotion of 14A, the company's next-generation node, which will be ready for risk production in 2027 and for volume production in 2028. Given the timing of 14A, it is now time to start promoting it among potential third-party Intel Foundry clients. Intel's 18A fabrication technology is the company's first node to utilize its 2nd-generation RibbonFET gate-all-around (GAA) transistors, along with a PowerVia backside power delivery network (BSPDN). By contrast, 14A utilizes RibbonFET 2 transistors, PowerDirect BSPDN, which delivers power directly to each transistor's source and drain through specialized contacts, and features Turbo Cells for critical paths. In addition, 18A is Intel's first leading-edge technology that is compatible with third-party design tools and can be used by its foundry customers. Dropping external sales of 18A and 18A-P would require Intel to account for a substantial write-off reflecting the billions it spent developing the manufacturing technologies, according to individuals familiar with internal deliberations cited by Reuters. Depending on how you count development costs, the resulting charge could total hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars. Both RibbonFET and PowerVia were initially developed for 20A, but that technology was cancelled for internal products last August in a bid to focus on 18A for both internal and external products. Intel's rationale behind the move may be rather simple. By limiting the number of potential customers for 18A, the company may potentially cut its operating costs. The majority of tools required for 20A, 18A, and 14A (except for High-NA EUV equipment) are already in place at its Fab D1D in Oregon, as well as at Fabs 52 and 62 in Arizona. However, once these tools are formally put into operation, the company will have to report their depreciation as a cost. Not putting them online potentially enables Intel to cut its costs amid uncertainties with orders from third-party clients. In addition, by not offering 18A and 18A-P to external customers, Intel may save money on engineers dedicated to supporting the sampling, ramp, and mass production of third-party circuits at Intel fabs. Obviously, this is speculation on our side. However, by ceasing to offer 18A and 18A-P to external clients, Intel will be unable to demonstrate advantages of its fabrication nodes to a broad range of customers with various designs, which would leave them with a single choice for next two or three years: go with TSMC and use N2, N2P, or even A16. Although Samsung is set to formally start making chips on its SF2 (also known as SF3P) node later this year, that node is expected to be behind Intel 18A and TSMC's N2 and A16 in terms of power, performance, and area. Essentially, Intel would not be showing up to its fight against TSMC's N2 and A16, which will certainly not help to gain the confidence of potential clients towards other Intel offerings, namely 14A, 3-T/3-E, Intel/UMC 12nm, and others. Reuters' sources familiar with the matter explained that Lip-Bu Tan had asked Intel's specialists to prepare proposals for discussion with Intel's board this fall. Options could include ceasing efforts to sign up new clients for 18A, though given the scale and complexity of the issue, the decision might not be finalized until the board meets again later this year. Intel itself reportedly declined to discuss hypothetical scenarios but confirmed that the main customer for 18A has always been its own Products division, which plans to begin producing codenamed Panther Lake CPUs for laptops in 2025 using this technology. Eventually, 18A and 18A-P will be adopted by Clearwater Forest, Diamond Rapids, and Jaguar Shores products. Intel's push to attract large-scale external clients to its Intel Foundry fabs remains critical to its turnaround, as only with high volumes the company will be able to pay off for its process technologies that cost billions to develop. However, in addition to Intel itself, only Amazon, Microsoft, and the U.S. Department of Defence have formally confirmed plans to use 18A. While Broadcom and Nvidia are also reportedly testing Intel's latest process technology, they have yet to commit to using it for actual products. Intel's 18A has one key advantage over TSMC's N2: it features backside power delivery, which is particularly useful for power-hungry processors aimed at AI and HPC applications. TSMC's A16 with Super Power Rail (SPR) will only enter mass production in late 2026, so 18A will maintain the advantage of offering backside power delivery for Amazon, Microsoft, and potentially other customers for a while. However, N2 is expected to offer higher transistor density, which is beneficial for the vast majority of chip designs. Furthermore, while Intel has been running Panther Lake silicon at its D1D fab for quarters (so, currently Intel is still in risk production using 18A), the company's high-volume Fab 52 and Fab 62 started to run 18A test silicon this March, so they will start producing commercial chips only late in 2025, or rather in early 2025. Intel's external customers are, of course, interested in producing their designs at high-volume fabs in Arizona rather than at development fabs in Oregon. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan is reportedly considering halting the promotion of the company's 18A fabrication process to external clients and instead focusing on the next-generation 14A production node, aiming to attract large customers such as Apple and Nvidia. The move could trigger massive write-offs, as Intel has spent billions developing 18A and 18A-P process technologies. Shifting focus to 14A could help cut costs and better prepare the node and operations for third-party clients, but the move risks undermining customer confidence in Intel's foundry capabilities ahead of 14A's planned production in 2027–2028. While the 18A node remains critical for Intel's own products, such as Panther Lake CPUs, limited demand from third parties — so far, only Amazon, Microsoft, and the U.S. Department of Defense have confirmed plans to use it — has raised concerns about its viability. The potential decision — which will essentially withdraw Intel from the broad foundry market until 14A comes to market — will be reviewed by Intel's board later this year. Even if Intel eventually chooses to remove 18A from its foundry offerings, aimed at a broad range of applications and clients, the company will still manufacture chips using 18A for its own products, which are already designed for the process. It also intends to fulfill limited orders it has already committed to, including supplying chips for the aforementioned clients. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
