Expect more projects from the world of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners as CD Projekt, the developer behind the hit video game Cyberpunk 2077, wants to make more anime shows set in the same universe. While the launch of Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020 was disastrous, the franchise has since re-established itself on solid ground thanks to numerous updates and, most importantly, a phenomenal anime spin-off. Streaming on Netflix, Edgerunners is a 10-episode anime series created by Rafal Jaki. Few expected the show to be anything more than a cash-grab, but Edgerunners stunned everyone with its phenomenal characters, animation, and story, earning it the 2023 Crunchyroll Anime of the Year Award (the anime equivalent of an Emmy).
CD Projekt’s joint CEO, Michal Nowakowski, revealed during the company’s latest earnings call that the studio is planning on developing more animated shows based on their popular games (they also produce the hit The Witcher game series). Despite being billed as a miniseries, fans are desperate for a second season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Nowakowski didn’t reveal anything specific about a potential Season 2, but did confirm that the company is looking to develop more animated projects within the world of Cyberpunk. Nowakowski said:
“We are definitely planning to do more in terms of animation with Cyberpunk, so I hope that’s enough as an answer. So expect to see more for sure, but that’s as far as I can go right now.”
Inspired by genre-defining novels like William Gibson’s Neuromancer, Cyberpunk is set in a futuristic world where body modification has become normalized and embraced as a means of emphasizing status and militaristic enhancement. Edgerunners follows David, a street kid with a scholarship to the famed Osaka school. After stumbling upon a powerful military body mod, David gets expelled from school and finds himself embroiled in a life of crime, becoming an Edgerunner — a criminal mercenary who takes jobs against the corporate elites of Night City.
More Animated Video Game Adaptations Are on the Way
While live-action video game adaptations are still finding their footing in the film & TV industry (the recent box office failure Borderlands didn’t help), animated adaptations have been smash hits for some years now. Netflix in particular has produced some of the best animated video game adaptations of all-time. As well as the aforementioned Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Netflix also boasts Castlevania and Arcane in its streaming library.
While fans wait for new animated shows in the Cyberpunk universe, there are some high-profile video game adaptations to keep them satiated in the meantime. The second and final season of the acclaimed Arcane series (based on the League of Legends video games) is set to hit Netflix this November. The new season picks up directly where the first left off after Jinx (Ella Purnell) decimated the Piltover Council, potentially inciting an all-out war between the city and the undercity of Zaun.
Before that, Tomb Raider fans have their long awaited animated adaptation to look forward to.Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft continues on from the hit “Survivor” series of games (released between 2013 and 2018). Created and written by Tasha Huo, the series stars Hayley Atwell as the voice of Lara Croft as she faces an adversary that can challenge her both physically and intellectually in Charles Devereaux (Richard Armitage).
Cypberpunk: Edgerunners
is streaming on Netflix.