Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 is preparing to return viewers to Night City with a new cast, a new central character, and a story that appears ready to embrace the same painful storytelling that defined the original anime. Writer-producer Bartosz Sztybor has revealed that the sequel will continue CD Projekt Red’s preference for morally ambiguous stories where victories often come with devastating consequences.
Speaking with Animation Magazine, Sztybor explained the philosophy behind the new season’s ending. “Maybe there’ll be a happy ending, but a different one,” he said, before adding,
“In CD Projekt Red stories, there’s no black and white. If you win at the end, you will lose a lot.”
That comment could be particularly significant for fans of the first Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, which became known for refusing to give its characters easy victories. Rather than simply repeating David and Lucy’s story, the sequel appears determined to explore another kind of tragedy.
A VETERAN EDGERUNNER REVERSES SEASON 1’S STORY
According to Sztybor, Edgerunners 2 effectively mirrors the original season. The first series followed David Martinez as an inexperienced Edgerunner attempting to establish himself in Night City. The sequel instead centers on a veteran Edgerunner named Weak, exploring what happens when an experienced mercenary begins losing what once made him powerful.
Sztybor described the concept as imagining what David’s life could have looked like if he had survived and reached middle age. In this version of the story, the protagonist is an older mercenary who loses his cyberware while steering Night City’s brutal future.
That setup gives the sequel a different perspective on the same world. Instead of watching someone climb toward fame, viewers will follow someone who has already experienced the life of an Edgerunner and now has to deal with its consequences.
The sequel will also expand its storytelling structure. Sztybor said the new season has six or even eight major characters, each with their own goals and storylines.
The writer compared this approach to Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, explaining that the separate narratives will eventually intersect.
“Each one has different goals, and like Tarantino’s movie, some of them will meet along the way,”
Sztybor told Animation Magazine.
This interconnected structure should give Edgerunners 2 a broader view of Night City while allowing individual character decisions to influence other storylines.
Studio Trigger returns for the sequel, but Edgerunners 2 will have a noticeably different visual identity. Director Kai Ikarashi, known for Promare, leads the new production, while Sztybor described the sequel’s animation as
“much more raw and punky.”
The writer also noted that the first season was created largely by Trigger’s veteran staff, while the sequel brings in a newer generation of artists. Combined with the darker themes and multiple character stories, Edgerunners 2 is shaping up to be more than a conventional continuation of the Netflix hit.
