Cyberpunk: Edgerunners reportedly has its release date, with the anime saga slated to debut on Netflix in September.
As reported by AnimeTV on Twitter, the 10-episode series by Studio TRIGGER hits screens on Sept. 13. Described as a standalone story inspired by Cyberpunk lore, the main protagonist of the show is a streetsmart youth named David Martinez who is attempting to survive in the technologically-obsessed Night City via a dangerous career as an Edgerunner -- a mercenary outlaw also known as a Cyberpunk.
Netflix most recently revealed a trailer for the upcoming show which showcased the bloody brutality at its core, revealing David's motivations to become an Edgerunner after the murder of his mother. After enhancing his body with various chips, David works with a crew, including a netrunner named Lucy, and goes up against the Arasaka corporation -- the company that controls much of Night City and also acts as a central antagonizing force in Cyberpunk's world. The opening for the series, a stylish set of visuals set to the tune "The Fffire" by Franz Ferdinand, was also revealed in July.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi, one of Studio TRIGGER's co-founders whose other directing projects include the fan-favorite 2007 series Gurren Lagann and 2013's Kill la Kill. The series' plot is written by Polish writer Bartosz Sztybor, who works as CD Projekt Red's Narrative Manager.
What Inspires Cyberpunk: Edgerunners?
The original Cyberpunk world was created by Mike Pondsmith as part of the Cyberpunk tabletop roleplaying game. Originally released in 1988 via Pondsmith's company R. Talsorian Games, Cyberpunk embodied many of the flashy, futuristic tropes present in '80s media like the film Blade Runner and author William Gibson's Neuromancer. The game provided a potent vision of a neon-laced, dystopian future ruled by all-powerful corporations, and the second edition of the RPG, dubbed Cyberpunk 2020, quickly became a favorite among sci-fi tabletop enthusiasts after its release in 1990.
CD Projekt Red obtained the Cyberpunk license and released its vision of the franchise, Cyberpunk 2077, in 2020. While the game received praise for its high production values and performance by Keanu Reeves, it was also criticized for its bugs and lack of roleplaying choices. The game has nevertheless sold over 18 million copies as of April 2022, and an updated version was released for the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in February of this year. CD Projekt Red is currently at work on a DLC expansion.
Source: Twitter