Gabe Amatangelo, the director behind the new expansion Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, has confirmed that his next project is a “full-blown” sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 that won’t be built on CD PROJEKT RED’s own REDengine, but instead, Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. Amatangelo didn’t specify what version of Unreal Engine is being used, but it’s presumably Unreal Engine 5 based on what CD PROJEKT RED and its collaborators are leveraging for its next Witcher games, such as The Witcher Remake. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, which launches on September 26, took two years to develop, according to Amatangelo, who took over as director following a pair of high-profile exits.
From a Bloomberg report (alternate link):
Amatangelo said that after Phantom Liberty he will direct a full-blown sequel to Cyberpunk 2077. This time around, rather than using proprietary technology, CD Projekt will use Epic Games’ Unreal Engine — a decision that will also likely help the company’s recruiting efforts.
Amatangelo went on to lead the development of Cyberpunk 2077’s well received patch 1.5, which was released in February 2022. He and his team are now finishing the new expansion. CD Projekt’s board of directors, he said, has given them carte blanche to “make it right,” including all the time and resources he requested.
Whereas the expansions of The Witcher 3 were released within a year of the game’s arrival, Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty has been in development for more than two years. “The commitment to it from a board level is something else, really,” Amatangelo said. “I was struck by the humility and willingness to change.”