Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Took “More than 20 months of discussions” to Completely Change the Story and Improve it for the Better
September 13, 2022, saw the release of another video game anime adaptation by Netflix. The anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is based in the universe of Cyberpunk 2077, the notorious CDPR game that had a terrible launch and has been fixing itself ever since. But despite everything, it was evident that the universe they had created was, at the very least, captivating and fascinating, and Edgerunners is delving into that.
The ambitious anime, produced by Studio Trigger, takes the Cyberpunk 2077 universe and transforms it into something more. Even now, the program that was named one of the best anime of 2022 continues to draw viewers in. For some time, Cyberpunk 2077 had trouble regaining any kind of fan base, but Cyberpunk: Edgerunners‘ popularity helped the game’s cause.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Is The Product Of a Collaborative Process
Shack News reached out to producer Saya Elder of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners with some of their most pressing inquiries, wanting to know how the show’s fundamental ideas came to be as well as the process of collaborating with Studio Trigger.
The interviewer questioned Elder about how the concept of Edgerunners ended up being formed, and this is what Elder had to say:
CD PROJEKT RED initially drafted a very different version of the show that involved a coming-of-age story of a teenage boy surviving in Night City. This story was something we shared with Studio Trigger.
What followed were more than 20 months of discussions and close collaboration between CD PROJEKT RED and Studio Trigger — aimed at determining what story would best portray the world of Cyberpunk 2077, and how to best translate that story into an amazing anime. The Edgerunners we know and love right now is the result of that collaborative process.
When asked what was it about Studio Trigger that appealed to her, Elder replied that the selection of the studio happened before she joined CD PROJEKT RED in January 2019. However, Elder admitted that they were drawn to their unique style, uncompromising passion for their projects, and love for the cyberpunk genre.
Saya Elder Said That Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Was Born Out Of a “Labor of Love”
When asked what was the collaborative process like between CDPR and Trigger, Elder said that it was uniquely passionate, humbling, and eye-opening. She continued:
What it wasn’t is easy. The many linguistic, cultural, and industry differences in play more often than not ended up getting in the way, but what kept making us come together was the end result we were working toward — creating a great anime that’s respectful of the source materiał, the genre, and Japanese animation.
It was a labor of love that taught us to trust in each other’s strengths and allowed us to create something I believe is truly special, and that perfectly aligns with both company’s core values.
The plot of Edgerunners centers on David, a young child who leaves Arasaka Academy and, via his friendship with Lucy, a Netrunner (hacker), gets drawn into the world of Cyberpunks, who are essentially low-level gang members operating in the city.
She presents him to her squad, and he quickly becomes an indispensable member due to his resistance to having a stolen augment installed. The augment is called the Sandevistan, which goes around hitting and shooting your foes while attaching to your spine and effectively stopping time.
You can watch Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Netflix.
