The future is rapidly approaching. After multiple delays, CD Projekt Red, a Polish video game developer, had committed to delivering Cyberpunk 2077, a highly anticipated open-world role-playing game, on November 19, 2020. That’s not all, though. For those who have already been won over by the game’s gritty, neon-haunted futuristic environment, the developer had announced another intriguing release: a Netflix spin-off anime series.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a Studio Trigger production that is being developed exclusively for Netflix. The project is being directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi, and it will have a score by Akira Yamaoka, who is most renowned for his work on the Silent Hill video games.
Despite the fact that the upcoming series is still in its early phases of development, we do know what to expect. Make sure your body mods are correctly calibrated and let’s download everything we know about Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ release date, plot, and announcement teaser.
What’s the release date for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners?
Those who have followed the development of Cyberpunk 2077 know that CD Projekt Red has repeatedly postponed the game’s release to ensure its quality. The game was launched at the end of 2020. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, however, is set to release on Netflix sometime in 2022, according to the official announcement.
While the time between the release of the game and the anime tie-in appears to be fairly long, the developers’ plan for Cyberpunk 2077 puts the series’ release window into context. After the core game was released, CD Projekt Red planned to release a slew of additional downloadable content.
Their previous game, The Witcher 3, had two big story expansions after its initial release, as well, and the studio has indicated that it had similar plans for Cyberpunk 2077. This has kept the game relevant long after its initial release date, making the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners release window feel less out of the norm.
Whether you buy the game when it first comes out or waits until all of the DLC is available, you’ll have Cyberpunk: Edgerunners to look forward to some time in 2022.
What we know about the plot of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
We do know a few details about Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ plot thanks to the press statement surrounding the series’ announcement. The show will be a genuine spin-off that tells a separate story from Cyberpunk 2077 over the course of ten episodes. Despite the fact that the story will be different, it will take place in Night City, the same setting as the game. The series’ protagonist is a kid who survives by adopting the lifestyle of a body modification-obsessed edge runner, or “a mercenary outlaw also known as a cyberpunk.”
While the game draws aesthetic and thematic inspiration from a range of sci-fi sources, it owes most of its inspiration to the 1988 tabletop role-playing game Cyberpunk 2020. Mike Pondsmith, the game’s creator, had even been working with CD Projekt Red on a modernized version of his original ideas.
Aside from the little storyline teaser, we’re mostly in the dark about the series’ plot. However, we wouldn’t be surprised if parts from the original Cyberpunk 2020 made their way into Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, just like the video game on which it is based.
The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners announcement video
While no official trailer for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has been released, Studio Trigger and CD Projekt Red have released an announcement video that will offer fans something to chew on while waiting for further details about the series. This video does not include any footage from the anime, but it does provide some behind-the-scenes information about its production.
Saya Elder, a Cyberpunk: Edgerunners producer based in Japan, delivers the short video. Elder discusses how the tie-in series came to be and what fans should expect from the show. One essential point to note is that the anime is intended for both fans of the games and viewers who have never played it. There’s also a look at three members of the Studio Trigger team. Throughout the video, we get atmospheric shots of Tokyo’s neon-lit streets after dark.
It’s a little tease, but it should keep the fans of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners occupied until we get more details about the release in 2022.