Project Orion Needs its Own Cyberpunk 2077 ‘Machine Gun’ Quest

Highlights

• Cyberpunk 2077 is complete post-update, and its sequel, Project Orion, is now entering early development.
• Fans could see Project Orion expand on unique quests like the “Machine Gun” mission with amusing AI weapons.
• CD Projekt Red could introduce more AI-enhanced weapons like Skippy in Project Orion for added fun and charm.

Cyberpunk 2077‘s story is now complete in all senses, having come full circle since its 2020 launch. In the wake of its initial release, Cyberpunk 2077 experienced at times near unprecedented levels of backlash, mainly due to its technical state on older generation platforms as well as for missing some key features and elements that were originally promised. Developer CD Projekt Red took responsibility for these shortcomings, and by the latter half of 2023, via the 2.0 update combined with The Phantom Liberty DLC, had transitioned the title into a stable and satisfactory state.

Now that Cyberpunk 2077‘s development is officially concluded, with no additional content planned, CDPR is beginning early work on its sequel, currently known as Project Orion. Though it will likely still be a while before further details about it are revealed, fans are already speculating on how it will build on Cyberpunk 2077‘s mechanics and themes. CP 2077‘s breadth of quests spanned the tonal range from deadly serious to slapstick absurdity, and one of the standout side missions falling more into the latter category was the “Machine Gun” quest, wherein fans could befriend an AI-enhanced weapon with a strong will of its own. As a memorable inclusion, Project Orion should seek to have another mission in this same vein.

Cyberpunk 2077’s ‘Machine Gun’ Quest Needs its Own Version in Project Orion

Cyberpunk 2077’s ‘Machine Gun’ Mission and Skippy

While exploring the seedy back alleys of Night City, players can discover and encounter Cyberpunk 2077‘s Skippy, an AI-enhanced Smart pistol with a unique personality and related mechanic. Upon picking up the gun, a holographic projection of an animated bullet, Skippy, will cheerily greet protagonist V and ask which of two modes they would like to set the weapon in. If “Stone Cold Killer” is selected as the initial setting, Skippy’s smart bullets will go for deadly accurate headshots on enemies. Meanwhile, “Puppy-Loving Pacifist” aims for limbs in a less lethal approach.

However, once players rack up 50 kills or incapacitated foes, Skippy will decide on its own to switch to the opposite setting and remain there. It’s a highly entertaining and unexpected turn, showing off the fun details of the world and providing players with a unique armament in the process. Fans can also return Skippy to its original owner, officer Regina Jones, for an alternate reward should they feel his constant chatter is too much to handle or are unhappy with the mode he’s stuck himself in.

How Project Orion Could Include a ‘Machine Gun’ Styled Quest

With it being such a distinctive quest, “Machine Gun” is ripe for potential expansion and iteration in Project Orion. The concept of a sentient talking weapon that independently decides its level of lethality aligns perfectly with genre sensibilities, and Skippy’s particular brand adds great charm and humor contrasted against some of the more dour aspects in Cyberpunk 2077. Whether Cyberpunk 2077‘s sequel moves to another location or remains in Night City, it could easily include Skippy again or have more weapons like it that inject a similar flavor to the story and setting.

Any of the arms manufacturers in Cyberpunk 2077‘s universe could produce another gun like Skippy, or perhaps even multiple versions of it, offering a collection of unique and powerful weapons, each of which could have an exaggerated and entertaining AI personality alongside multiple firing modes. Another approach could be for CD Projekt Red to overhaul the crafting system in Project Orion, allowing players to possibly create their own personalized homemade versions of weapons like Skippy, and upgrading them as they go along, resulting in a valuable piece of equipment that also serves as a sort of companion. Whatever other directions Project Orion takes, it would be an excellent inclusion to see a Skippy-like weapon crop up again.