It began as a disaster. Fresh off the success of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red turned its focus to the neon-drenched metropolis of Night City for Cyberpunk 2077. Instead of the instant hit many expected, the game flatlined at its 2020 launch. Plagued by game-ruining glitches, a broken world, and poor performance on last-gen consoles, the title was eventually pulled from the PlayStation Store, leaving players and the developer in a dire position.
The Long Road to Redemption
The comeback story didn't happen overnight. CD Projekt Red spent years clawing back goodwill, culminating in the 2023 2.0 update. By completely overhauling core mechanics—from skill trees to chrome upgrades—the developers finally brought the game in line with the original vision fans had held since the initial reveal. That same week, the Phantom Liberty expansion arrived, introducing the dangerous Dogtown district and a high-stakes narrative featuring Idris Elba as FIA agent Solomon Reed. Today, Phantom Liberty is widely regarded as some of the best content CD Projekt Red has ever produced, standing alongside The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine.
How Edgerunners Changed the Narrative
While the 2.0 update fixed the game's mechanics, much of the community's renewed interest was sparked by Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. The collaboration with Studio Trigger, the team behind Kill La Kill, captured the brutal, uncompromising soul of Night City better than the RPG initially did. By focusing on the story of David Martinez and his crew, the show highlighted the franchise's core theme: in Night City, there are no winners, only corporations and those they crush underfoot.
Where the game allows players to eventually become an all-powerful mercenary, the anime presents the city as a suffocating, kinetic beast—an Akira-inspired hellscape that chews people up. It gave the setting a new identity, transforming it from a simple playground into a character itself.
Looking Toward Season 2
The saga isn't over. Netflix is set to release Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 later this year, and early signs suggest the follow-up is a significant step forward. During a recent premiere event at Anime Expo, 6,000 fans gathered to watch the first episode, proving the community's dedication by keeping the contents entirely spoiler-free.
Writer Bartosz Sztybor has described the second season as a shift in tone, comparing the upcoming narrative to a Martin Scorsese drama rather than the explosive, action-heavy feel of the first season. As CD Projekt Red continues to work toward their codenamed Orion sequel, this pivot to more narratively brave storytelling serves as a hopeful indicator for the future of the franchise. After years of turmoil, the studio has provided a lesson in how patience and risk-taking can fix even the most broken of projects.