Despite the two being similar mediums in a lot of ways, the worlds of movies/ TV and video games do not always go hand in hand in perfect harmony. Over the years, many movie/TV adaptions of video games, and vice versa, have fallen spectacularly short, failing to do justice to the source material. Occasionally though, the creators of these crossovers get it right, and the two mediums can complement each other perfectly.Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the Netflix anime series that was released in September, is a great example of a crossover done right, and despite few actual direct lead-ins toCyberpunk 2077, there are plenty of references that help to expand on the exciting world of Night City.
By now,Cyberpunk 2077’s tumultuous launch is forever etched into gamers' memories worldwide. The plethora of bugs and glitches that were glaring in the early versions of the game were enough to prompt developerCD Projekt Redinto making a full-blown apology, pledging to put these errors right and continuously improve the game. To its credit, the developer has stayed true to its word, andCyberpunk 2077now resembles something much closer to its initial vision, which has prompted an influx of new players.Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' release perfectly coincided with the game’s resurgence, and the two have harmonized together extremely well despite taking place in different time periods.
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Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Shares Several Links With The Game
Cyberpunk: Edgerunnersfollows the story of David Martinez, a young, talented street kid who loses everything in a drive-by shooting and resorts to a life of crime in thesprawling metropolis of Night City. Despite being described as a standalone series, it does share several links with the game. While it isn’t known exactly when the show takes place, it is definitely some time shortly before the events inCyberpunk 2077.
One of the most obvious signs pointing towards this is the character ofAdam Smasher. Introduced inCyberpunk 2077as a murderous cyborg working for the evil Arasaka Corporation, he was also found to be responsible for the death of Keanu Reeves' character, the enigmatic Johnny Silverhand. The player had the option to kill Smasher before the game reached its conclusion. The fact that he plays a significant role in the show is a clear indication that this is taking place before the game.
Adam Smasher is far from the series' only link to the game though. Around the halfway mark in the show, the characters visit Afterlife, a vibrant club which is popular with the local residents. This is the very same Afterlife that protagonist V frequently visits over the course of the game, and a couple of the workers, Claire Russell and Rogue Amendiares, are present in both.Cyberpunk: Edgerunnersalso features a cameo appearance from Wakako Okada, a character who fans of the game will recognize as being involved in several side-quests. Fans also get another glimpse of Lizzie’s Bar, another spot that players frequent over the course ofCyberpunk 2077’s40-hour campaign. The two also share some behind-the-scenes connections too, with writer Bartosz Sztybor, a veteran of theCyberpunkfranchise, contributing to both the show and game’s writing.
The show proves to be the perfect lead-in to the game, and a great starting point for someone who is new to the franchise. Without a doubt,Cyberpunk: Edgerunnershas helped to spark a renewed interest in the game, with numbers reportedly sitting at over 100,000 concurrent players on Steam towards the end of September. ACyberpunk 2077sequel has now been announced, proving that hard work pays off, but CD Projekt Red will be grateful for the role the anime series has played in the game’s revival.
