It began as a disaster. Fresh off conquering the Continent in peerless fantasy RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red turned its attention to the neon metropolis of Night City for Cyberpunk 2077.
Instead of being an instant success, Cyberpunk 2077 – in the franchise's parlance – flatlined out of the gate in 2020. Game-ruining glitches, a broken world, and stuttering last-gen ports led to the unprecedented removal of the title from the PlayStation Store.
Far from CD Projekt Red being able to do no wrong, things suddenly looked dire. I, along with plenty of my chooms, dropped Cyberpunk – seemingly never to return.
But it's here where the comeback story begins. Away from the gaze of many who felt burned by one of gaming's biggest modern-day disappointments, the developers clawed back a large chunk of goodwill with 2023's 2.0 update. The dramatic changes overhauled everything from skill trees to chrome upgrades to ensure Cyberpunk 2077 closely matched CD Projekt Red – and fans' – initial expectations for the game.
That same week, the Phantom Liberty DLC, introducing players to a dangerous new section of Night City in Dogtown, and a story revolving around a trapped President and the emergence of Idris Elba's shadowy FIA Agent Solomon Reed. Far from being a desperate last gasp of a dying game, it rejuvenated the series. Phantom Liberty now stands alongside CD Projekt Red's dreamy trip to Touissant in The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine as shorthand for best-in-class expansions.
But that wasn't how I, or others, returned to the Cyberpunk fold. Our way back into Night City's crime-ridden streets was through Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, a joint collaboration between CD Projekt Red and the acclaimed Studio Trigger of Kill La Kill fame.
Chrome sweet chrome
The show charts the rise of David Martinez, a down-on-his-luck kid who, after suffering a family tragedy and in desperate need of 'eddies' to pay the bills, forces his way through the seedy underbelly of Night City to become one of its most prominent Edgerunners.
Ably backed by a crew that includes netrunner and David's love interest Lucy, hot-headed Rebecca, and stoic leader Maine, Edgerunners begins as an effortlessly cool, stylish depiction of how a Robin Hood-style set of mercs could thrive in a world that wants them dead. Then, spoiler alert, most of them do end up dead.
As much as I love Cyberpunk 2077, Edgerunners understands the franchise's message that much more. Because there are no winners and losers in Night City, just the corporations and those crushed underfoot. While the RPG can absolutely have its heart-wrenching moments, it pales in comparison to David's journey. Hell, you probably haven't looked at the moon in the same way since.
Ahead of the Cyberpunk sequel, Edgerunners also gives Night City new life. Where its game counterpart is a joyful futuristic playground once you're kitted out in all the best chrome, Edgerunners' take is close to something like Akira: a wiry, suffocating beast of a city that – as cliche as it sounds – is a character in itself. This is a place that chews people up and spits them out whole; a lethal, kinetic rush is found in every dilapidated alley and brutalist rooftop. Cyberpunk 2077 may have won back favor on its own merits, but Edgerunners kickstarted everything by truly getting what made everyone so eager in the first place.
Back to Night City
But that's not the end of the saga. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 is coming to Netflix later this year – and first signs are promising.
The early reactions from Anime Expo are incredible, with fans and critics alike praising the premiere as an undoubted step up from the first season. It also speaks to the dedication to the series and its remarkable turnaround that 6000 fans packed into the L.A. event to watch the premiere episode of the second season, and not a single soul leaked footage from the event. There are no gonks here, only those who wish to protect a shared secret, safe in the knowledge that they've just witnessed something very special.
Then you hear the creators talk, and the hype only intensifies. Edgerunners writer Bartosz Sztybor has described the second season as a Scorsese movie in comparison to the first season's explosive Michael Bay-coded offering. That instantly brings to mind something far more narratively brave than what we've seen so far – a path Cyberpunk could do well to walk down between now and the release of the codenamed Orion sequel.
From disaster to delight, Cyberpunk has done what so many have failed to do. As the twin industries of Hollywood and gaming become increasingly littered with failed big-budget projects, layoffs, and a gnawing sense of dissatisfaction, CD Projekt Red should be held aloft as a teaching lesson for many. With time, patience, and a risky side-project, everything can be fixed again. Welcome back to Night City. We can't wait to see where it takes us next.
For more, check out the first Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 reactions. Then, dive into our collection of the best anime on Netflix.
