Netflix continues to bet big on video games, and its latest efforts to bring the world of gaming to the small screen will see the streamer venture into Night City in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
Based on the open-world action game of the same name, Cyberpunk 2077, Edgerunners is a ten-part animated series that was first announced in 2020. Things had gone quiet on the series since then, but during its ongoing Geeked Week event Netflix just dropped the show’s first trailer — and it looks seriously awesome.
The streamer also released an official synopsis for the show which reads: “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners tells a standalone, 10-episode story about a street kid trying to survive in a technology- and body-modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he chooses to stay alive by becoming an edgerunner — a mercenary outlaw also known as a cyberpunk.”
The show is being animated by Tokyo-based Studio Trigger (previous works include Little Witch Academia and Kill la Kill) and the show is directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi. The game’s developer, CD Projekt Red, is intimately involved in the creation of the show with the studio’s Rafal Jaki serving as an executive producer. Although Jaki has confirmed he will shortly be leaving CD Projekt Red, so may not be involved further if the show is successful enough for a second season.
This first trailer is very much a teaser, setting the mood of the series but not really revealing any specific plot details. However, as far as building anticipation goes the minute-long trailer has done a fantastic job of whetting our appetite. The show appears to be highly stylish, not to mention very bloody. We can’t wait to see more when Cyberpunk: Edgerunners hits Netflix in September 2022.
Unfortunately, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners will need to work hard to win over some viewers. The rocky release of the Cyberpunk 2077 video game in December 2020 could lead to some Netflix subscribers dismissing the show without even giving it a chance.
However, the game has enjoyed somewhat of a critical re-evaluation in recent months, especially after the launch of its better-received PS5 and Xbox Series X ports. Nevertheless, the Cyberpunk 2077 brand still has a lot of work to do before it’s no longer synonymous with overpromising and underdelivering.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is far from Netflix’s only upcoming show based on a video game. Earlier this year The Cuphead Show premiered to a warm reception, and the streamer also dropped the first trailer for its new live-action Resident Evil series during Geeked Week. This first look is proving to be extremely divisive among the passionate fanbase of the long-running survival-horror series.
