Night City has always been the real antagonist of the Cyberpunk universe — a sprawling, neon-drenched meat grinder where people don’t so much survive as try to go down in flames on their own terms. That bleak philosophy gave the original Cyberpunk: Edgerunners much of its emotional punch, turning a standalone anime into a gateway to the wider Cyberpunk universe while helping to revitalize interest in the game franchise.

But part of what made the anime resonate so deeply with audiences was precisely that David and Lucy’s story had reached a definitive conclusion. In today’s entertainment landscape, where successful franchises are rarely allowed to end on their own terms, that sense of finality was arguably one of Edgerunners‘ greatest strengths. Naturally, when Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 was announced, it raised a rather obvious question: what exactly was left to continue?

As it turns out, showrunner Bartosz Sztybor had already been developing ideas for future Edgerunners stories while writing the original series. Conversations with Studio TRIGGER about the franchise’s future were also underway before its 2022 premiere. The distinction, however, was never about revisiting David and Lucy’s story, but rather exploring the countless other lives unfolding across Night City.

Scheduled to premiere on Netflix on October 20, the new ten-episode series introduces an entirely different ensemble, with Kai Ikarashi taking over directorial duties from Hiroyuki Imaishi. But beyond its new characters and creative direction, Edgerunners 2 also raises bigger questions about how CD Projekt Red intends to develop the wider Cyberpunk universe.

Just days ahead of the premiere, Hypebeast jumped on a Zoom call with Sztybor to unpack the sequel’s secret origins, Studio TRIGGER’s changing of the guard, and why viewers should never get too attached to anyone in Night City.

When the first Edgerunners aired, CD Projekt Red made it quite clear that it was intended as a standalone story. When did that shift into the decision to tell more stories in Night City?

Bartosz Sztybor: It was actually before that. I already had ideas for more Edgerunners stories while writing the first season. I don’t want to say that the initial claim was unfortunate, because it was completely true: we never wanted to continue David’s story or Lucy’s story. We wanted to tell the audience that this chapter is done — David is dead, and we are not going back to that storyline.

Satoru Homma, who produced both Edgerunners and Edgerunners 2, basically reiterated publicly that it was a standalone project. But in secret, down in the CDPR basements, we were already developing Edgerunners 2.

“[Edgerunners 2] directly plays with elements that the audience already knows… Its place on the timeline matters, and I think it will become even more significant in the future.”

The first series famously brought a wave of new and returning players into Cyberpunk 2077. Did that success change how CDPR approaches animation as an ongoing medium to expand the universe?

Yes and no. CDPR was always open to exploring other media — even before the anime, we were deeply invested in creating comic books. The vision to build a robust, multi-medium franchise was always there.

The success of Edgerunners definitely helped. It proved that people love anime, people love animation, and that there’s an appetite for more. But CDPR maintains a very high quality bar. It was never about saying, “Let’s flood the market with 10 animated shows,” or doing an easy cash-in sequel where David magically returns just to make money. If we have a compelling story to tell, and if we have the right studio to help us tell that story properly, then yes, let’s do it. But the story always has to justify itself first.

With that high bar in mind, how did you land on teaming up with Studio TRIGGER again? Did you ever consider working with a different animation studio?

Of course. We were definitely considering other studios, and we thought about it seriously. In our franchise approach – whether we’re working on comics or animation – the story always dictates the medium. The narrative comes first, and then you search for the artist, director, or studio that represents the perfect fit. It’s never just about booking a studio that happens to have an open schedule.

Collaborating with TRIGGER on the first season was challenging, but it was also incredibly fulfilling, and I personally learned a lot from that process. We actually began talking to TRIGGER about the future before Edgerunners even premiered. But we knew from the beginning that we didn’t want to repeat ourselves. That’s why we agreed to bring in a new director [Kai Ikarashi] and an entirely different art crew behind him. We kept the brilliance of, but paired it with a distinct, fresh creative vision. It turned out to be ideal.

There hasn’t been much official confirmation regarding where Edgerunners 2 sits on the Cyberpunk timeline in relation to the first anime and the game. Are you able to disclose where this new story lands?

Nope! [Laughs] You’ll have to watch the show yourself, hunt for the clues, and piece it together on your own. It might not be 100% spelled out immediately, but the clues are definitely there.

Is the series’ specific placement on that timeline important to how audiences will understand the narrative?

Oh yes, absolutely. It directly plays with elements that the audience already knows from Edgerunners and the game. Its place on the timeline matters, and I think it will become even more significant in the future.

Since these stories all share the same Night City backdrop, how tempting is it to weave in familiar faces and legends from the game or comics? Should fans expect recognizable cameos in Edgerunners 2 or future projects?

It’s always super tempting. We love expanding this interconnected universe around Night City and Cyberpunk. But our priority is always to craft standalone stories. At CDPR, we never want to engineer a situation where someone feels forced to read a comic book just to understand a character in an anime.

Cameos and cross-media appearances will definitely happen – it happens in Edgerunners 2, and it will happen in future projects – but only if that character genuinely adds something meaningful to the story. David’s arc had a clear beginning and end, so we will never tell another story about David. The same applies to V in the game. But with a character like Rebecca, her full arc wasn’t entirely shown in the anime, which is why we created the manga, Madness. Similarly, Sal Bigelow, who appears in Edgerunners 2, was introduced earlier in our comic book Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams. We love those narrative threads, but they always have to serve the story and the character first.

“[Edgerunners 2] directly plays with elements that the audience already knows… Its place on the timeline matters, and I think it will become even more significant in the future.”

On that note, is there any chance we might see someone as legendary as Johnny Silverhand make an appearance or cameo in future Edgerunners projects?

With Johnny, his arc in the game was already so completely fulfilled, which makes him a very difficult character to naturally integrate into a new story. But I guess you’ll just have to wait and see what the future brings.

Night City isn’t exactly famous for happy endings. With the premiere arriving on Netflix in less than a week, what is one piece of advice or warning you’d give to fans before they hit play?

A warning? Don’t get too attached! [Laughs]

What I really hope fans do is refresh themselves on Edgerunners, and then approach Edgerunners 2 as a work that is in constant, deliberate dialogue with the first season. If you keep that relationship in mind, you’ll get so much more out of this new series.

If Edgerunners can continue returning to Night City with fresh protagonists and standalone narratives, how far can that concept stretch? Could future anime projects explore entirely different eras or corners outside the city?

Edgerunners will always be fundamentally about edgerunners, and we see that identity as inextricably linked to Night City. If we ever explore territories outside Night City, it would likely be in the surrounding perimeter.

At CDPR, we have no shortage of concepts, stories and directions we want to explore. The Cyberpunk universe is massive, and its future is very, very bright.