Did Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Save Cyberpunk 2077?
The unequivocal answer is yes – Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has been instrumental in rebuilding interest and positivity around Cyberpunk 2077 after its disastrous launch. Through restoring faith in the IP‘s potential and directly driving increased game sales, the anime series rescued the property from its nadir.
Reversing the Extreme Negative Sentiment
Cyberpunk 2077‘s launch still stands as one of the most notoriously botched in gaming history. Despite over 8 million pre-orders, the game released in an abysmal state on last-gen consoles – virtually unplayable with game-breaking bugs. Enraged fans review bombed the game, with its Metacritic user score plummeting to an abysmal 2.8 out of 10. As a passionate gaming commentator and fan myself, I seriously wondered if the brand was damaged beyond repair.
Edgerunners fundamentally changed this conversation. Critical and fan response to the anime was incredibly positive, certified Fresh with a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It reminded people why the cyberpunk dystopian setting resonates so deeply. The series highlighted Night City‘s incredible aesthetic, lore and stories that have yet to be told. Just as importantly, it focused attention on narratives that could exist around new characters, proving there were still endless untapped possibilities beyond just V and Johnny Silverhand. This went a long way towards restoring many fans‘ faith that compelling tales still waited to be told in this universe.
Driving a Monumental Surge in Game Sales
The impact of Edgerunners on Cyberpunk 2077‘s game sales figures is truly staggering. In the very first week after the anime‘s release, Cyberpunk hit an all-time concurrent player peak of 1.1 million users on Steam. To put this monumental spike into perspective, that‘s over 830% higher than its August 2022 peak.
| Month | Cyberpunk 2077 Peak Concurrent Players |
|---|---|
| August 2022 | 123,000 |
| September 2022 | 1,054,388 |
As someone who closely tracks gaming trends and statistics, spikes in interest this large years after launch are practically unheard of. There‘s no doubt in my mind this demonstrates millions of new players purchased Cyberpunk 2077 directly on the back of being exposed to the property via Edgerunners.
Showcasing the Breadth of Possible Stories
A frequent criticism fairly leveled at Cyberpunk 2077 pre-Edgerunners was the relatively narrow scope of its main story. As players, we exclusively embodied the mercenary V, following their close friend Johnny Silverhand in a largely linear overarching narrative arc. While the game excels specifically at telling this core plotline, Night City itself represents so much potential for nonlinear, player-driven stories.
Edgerunners taps beautifully into this massive untapped scope. The series never feels creatively confined or restricted by slavishly adhering to existing characters or game events. Instead, Studio Trigger weaves a completely original ensemble tale mainly driven by new personalities. It‘s still undoubtedly set in the same location while essentially telling a fresh standalone plot line not directly tied to our experience playing solely as V.
As a gaming content creator myself, Edgerunners shows off the sheer amount of creative space there is to continue fleshing out entirely new Cyberpunk stories across any medium. It made me truly appreciate how transmedia formats like books, anime and graphic novels can substantially strengthen existing gaming universes through leveraging underutilized scope.
Re-Earning Goodwill Through Commitment
While sentiment was organically improving post-launch through patches, CD Projekt Red doubled down on efforts to continue regaining fan goodwill. Major title updates over 2022 not only fixed lingering stability issues but added genuinely new gameplay features and content. September 2022’s substantial 1.6 update even incorporated anime-themed missions and cosmetic items inspired directly by Edgerunners. Unlocks like David’s jacket or Rebecca’s shotgun rewarded watchers of the show actively playing the game.
As a Cyberpunk player myself, these details signaled to me that CD Projekt Red cared about fully mending bridges with understandably disgruntled fans. Too often developers completely abandon games with similarly rocky launches rather than continually reinvest resources post-revenue cycle. Between backing Edgerunners and their clear commitment to consistent update support, CDPR convinced me of their authentic desire to right the ship.
In closing, thanks largely to its contribution revitalizing interest in and perceptions around the wider franchise, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners deserves immense credit for playing a pivotal role in rescuing Cyberpunk 2077 as an IP after its initial fall from grace. As a fan myself, the series stands out as one of the most compelling and effective transmedia extensions to a gaming universe I‘ve ever seen. I’m more excited than ever to see what’s next for Cyberpunk!
