CD Projekt Red is a perhaps unexpected guest at the Anime Expo in Los Angeles: the Polish game developer, in cooperation with Netflix, produces the game set in the world of the popular role-playing game Cyberpunk 2077 (test, test of patch 1.5) playing edgerunners anime series. The intro and trailer provide an insight.
Familiar world, known city, new story
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, like the well-known CD Projekt Red game, is based on the pen-and-paper universe designed by Mike Pondsmith. The setting is a futuristic Los Angeles with Night City – the place is just as familiar from the video game as cybernetic body modifications and the dystopian-gloomy atmosphere. The now published opening sequence and a short teaser trailer provide a first impression of the series.
The ten episodes are scheduled to appear in September of this year; CD Projekt and Netflix have not yet given an exact date. Little is known about the story either: As part of the independent story, not taken from Cyberpunk 2077, the viewers should accompany new characters. Among them are street kid David Martinez, who becomes an edge runner – a cyber mercenary – and netrunner Lucy, who accompanies David on his way into Night City's underworld. It is not yet known whether a second season is planned.
Production under known name
CD Projekt has been busy with the anime series since 2018. Rafał Jaki, who was already involved in the production of The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt (test) and Cyberpunk 2077 and is responsible for the Kickstarter-financed manga The Witcher: Ronin, acts as showrunner. Directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi, who has previously conducted Kill la Kill and Promare; The Japanese studio Trigger, also known from Kill la Kill or Little Witch Academia, is responsible for the animation. The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners soundtrack is designed by Akira Yamaoka, who composed the music for the Silent Hill games. CD Projekt explains the making of the anime series in a YouTube video.
This isn't the first encounter between CD Projekt video games and Netflix. The world of the witcher Geralt, known to a wide audience from the Witcher games, has already become the subject of a Netflix series, the third season of which is currently in production. In addition, an anime short film has already been released and a second live-action series is in the works. However, CD Projekt was not involved in any of this: the Netflix adaptations are based on the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski.