The next Cyberpunk 2077 video game has been announced, and a Grand Theft Auto-style heist mechanic would be perfectly suited for the next big Cyberpunk video game. Project Orion will be the next Cyberpunk game, and it will be developed by returning Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red. Beyond that, not much has been revealed about the title or the direction of the Cyberpunk games, but a Cyberpunk heist game - or at least one that focused more heavily on a core cast - would guarantee an exciting, fresh Cyberpunk concept for fans of Cyberpunk 2077 to experience.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077.]The Cyberpunk universe has expanded far beyond its tabletop role-playing origins, and millions are playing Cyberpunk 2077 again to find a more stable, enjoyable experience than its initial release in 2020, aided by the popularity of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime series on Netflix. Yet one of the game's downfalls is killing off loveable characters too early, not grounding V in a group that feels like home, with only a single heist mission that goes south. GTA 5 may not have the most lovable characters, but it does show ways that Cyberpunk 2077 could have offered V more opportunities to work - and better get to know some of the game's strong cast of characters.
Heists were a critical addition to Grand Theft Auto Online in 2015, and introduced a fun new dynamic to online multiplayer experiences. Today, new GTA Online players should start with heists, as they help to integrate new players with a sizable payout while also providing a fun multiplayer experience throughout. Similarly, molding heist missions into the framework of the Cyberpunk universe could do the same for Project Orion in the future.
Project Orion Could Bring GTA Heists To Night City
Essentially, the beginning of Cyberpunk 2077 sets up a perfect team for a heist after a montage of adventures V and Jackie are supposed to have had together, and these are some of the warmest parts of the game, with feelings of real camaraderie. But the game almost immediately kills most of the characters after the first big mission. Cyberpunk 2077 players widely mourned the loss of Jackie, V's closest choom, creating a meaningful empathetic connection with V early in the game, and while this works great for creating emotional energy, it also feels like one of Cyberpunk 2077's biggest missed opportunities.
Project Orion could build its gaming experience around team-building with rich characters in its single-player campaign, while expanding into online multiplayer heists in the endgame. It could also avoid heists entirely but still achieve the same effect, as the missions themselves are perhaps less of a draw than any excuse to spend more quality time with chooms like Jackie. While heists in GTA 5 and Online certainly weren't quite as emotional as the beginning of Cyberpunk 2077, they feel like a perfect template for showing how Project Orion could offer a deeper sense of kinship. Cyberpunk 2077's DLC will end new content for the game, and looks to be more of a spy-thriller narrative. Heists might not become a part of Cyberpunk 2077, but Project Orion could change future Cyberpunk games for the better.