{"id":2065326,"date":"2026-07-28T12:06:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T09:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2065326"},"modified":"2026-07-28T12:06:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T09:06:31","slug":"cyberpunk-edgerunners-was-reportedly-being-turned-into-a-2-5d-brawler-by-cd-projekt-red-and-shantae-studio-wayforward-but-its-fate-is-uncertain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2065326","title":{"rendered":"Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was reportedly being turned into a 2.5D brawler by CD Projekt Red and Shantae studio WayForward, but its fate is uncertain"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/cyberpunk-2077\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Cyberpunk 2077<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was reportedly being turned into a 2.5D brawler by CD Projekt Red and Shantae studio WayForward, but its fate is uncertain<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Braindance.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Cyberpunk-Edgerunners-key-art-cropped.png?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Cyberpunk: Edgerunners key art cropped\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Cyberpunk-Edgerunners-key-art-cropped.png\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Netflix<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Fran Ruiz avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/fran-j-ruiz-author.png?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"180\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Fran Ruiz avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"fran-j-ruiz-author.png\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"180\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/fran-ruiz\">Fran Ruiz<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-07-28T12:06:31+00:00\">July 28, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"c177243e-1a0c-42f8-9d7b-0169323adfa3\" data-name=\"Cyberpunk 2077\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Cyberpunk 2077\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Cyberpunk 2077\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Cyberpunk 2077\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Cyberpunk 2077\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Cyberpunk 2077\" title=\"Follow Cyberpunk 2077\"><br \/>\n  Follow Cyberpunk 2077<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/cyberpunk-2077-sales-total-cd-projekt-red\">Cyberpunk 2077 continues to perform exceptionally well<\/a> for CD Projekt Red, but as we wait for news on its (still faraway) sequel, it&#8217;s been reported the studio had a smaller <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/cyberpunk-2077\">Cyberpunk 2077<\/a> game in the works at one time too.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/mp1st.com\/news\/report-cd-projekt-red-partnered-with-shantae-devs-on-a-2-5d-cyberpunk-edgerunners-brawler\">MP1st<\/a>, CD Projekt and Shantae developer WayForward were, at one point, collaborating on a &#8220;smaller side game&#8221; based on Cyberpunk 2077 anime spin-off Edgerunners. Details of the unannounced R&amp;D project &#8211; codenamed Gemini and believed to be &#8220;very early&#8221; in development &#8211; were found in the portfolio of a former WayForward developer, whose identity the publication withheld for privacy reasons.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Wuthering Waves x Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners - Official Release Date Trailer | IGN Summer of Gaming\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Lz6FoBT6Fdo?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Lz6FoBT6Fdo\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Wuthering Waves x Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners &#8211; Official Release Date Trailer | IGN Summer of Gaming<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Wuthering Waves x Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners &#8211; Official Release Date Trailer | IGN Summer of Gaming<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Lz6FoBT6Fdo\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While information is limited, Gemini was reportedly conceptualised as a &#8220;rollback-driven 2.5D brawler&#8221; in line with the Double Dragon Neon and River City Girls studio&#8217;s expertise, and it&#8217;s easy to see how the show&#8217;s heavily stylised anime aesthetic is perfect for such a retro-inspired beat &#8217;em up. There&#8217;s also talk of &#8220;rollback-safe architecture&#8221; and &#8220;online transport integration&#8221;, indicating the game was being built with online multiplayer in mind.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Gemini is said to have been in the works at WayForward between 2025 and 2026, and while MP1st wasn&#8217;t able to confirm the current status of the game, it highlighted &#8220;separate findings&#8221;, revealing WayForward was working on an Unreal Engine 5-powered project last year. Funding delays for this latter project reportedly led to a halt in development and a round of layoffs at the studio after the delivery of a vertical slice.<\/p>\n<p>This latest report comes at a busy time for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/cd-projekt-rebrands-as-cd-projekt-red\">recently rebranded CD Projekt Red<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/cyberpunk-edgerunners-season-2-first-reactions\">Edgerunners Season 2<\/a> and the upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberpunktcg.com\/\">Cyberpunk trading card game<\/a> are keeping the series on the move while we wait for more news on that Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. Additionally, the studio has announced the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/witcher-3-expansion-songs-past-team-size\">Songs of the Past expansion<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt\">The Witcher 3<\/a> over a decade after the game&#8217;s original release, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/the-witcher-4\">The Witcher 4<\/a> is also on the way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/cyberpunk-2077-sales-total-cd-projekt-red\">Cyberpunk 2077 continues to perform exceptionally well<\/a> for CD Projekt Red, but as we wait for news on its (still faraway) sequel, it&#8217;s been reported the studio had a smaller <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/cyberpunk-2077\">Cyberpunk 2077<\/a> game in the works at one time too.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/mp1st.com\/news\/report-cd-projekt-red-partnered-with-shantae-devs-on-a-2-5d-cyberpunk-edgerunners-brawler\">MP1st<\/a>, CD Projekt and Shantae developer WayForward were, at one point, collaborating on a &#8220;smaller side game&#8221; based on Cyberpunk 2077 anime spin-off Edgerunners. Details of the unannounced R&amp;D project &#8211; codenamed Gemini and believed to be &#8220;very early&#8221; in development &#8211; were found in the portfolio of a former WayForward developer, whose identity the publication withheld for privacy reasons.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Wuthering Waves x Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners - Official Release Date Trailer | IGN Summer of Gaming\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Lz6FoBT6Fdo?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Lz6FoBT6Fdo\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Wuthering Waves x Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners &#8211; Official Release Date Trailer | IGN Summer of Gaming<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Wuthering Waves x Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners &#8211; Official Release Date Trailer | IGN Summer of Gaming<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Lz6FoBT6Fdo\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While information is limited, Gemini was reportedly conceptualised as a &#8220;rollback-driven 2.5D brawler&#8221; in line with the Double Dragon Neon and River City Girls studio&#8217;s expertise, and it&#8217;s easy to see how the show&#8217;s heavily stylised anime aesthetic is perfect for such a retro-inspired beat &#8217;em up. There&#8217;s also talk of &#8220;rollback-safe architecture&#8221; and &#8220;online transport integration&#8221;, indicating the game was being built with online multiplayer in mind.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Gemini is said to have been in the works at WayForward between 2025 and 2026, and while MP1st wasn&#8217;t able to confirm the current status of the game, it highlighted &#8220;separate findings&#8221;, revealing WayForward was working on an Unreal Engine 5-powered project last year. Funding delays for this latter project reportedly led to a halt in development and a round of layoffs at the studio after the delivery of a vertical slice.<\/p>\n<p>This latest report comes at a busy time for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/cd-projekt-rebrands-as-cd-projekt-red\">recently rebranded CD Projekt Red<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/cyberpunk-edgerunners-season-2-first-reactions\">Edgerunners Season 2<\/a> and the upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberpunktcg.com\/\">Cyberpunk trading card game<\/a> are keeping the series on the move while we wait for more news on that Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. Additionally, the studio has announced the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/witcher-3-expansion-songs-past-team-size\">Songs of the Past expansion<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt\">The Witcher 3<\/a> over a decade after the game&#8217;s original release, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/the-witcher-4\">The Witcher 4<\/a> is also on the way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was reportedly being turned into a 2.5D brawler by CD Projekt Red and Shantae studio WayForward, but its fate is uncertain Braindance. Image credit: Netflix News by Fran Ruiz Contributor Published on July 28, 2026 Follow Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk 2077 continues to perform exceptionally well for CD Projekt Red, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2065326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2065326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065326\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2065326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2065326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2065326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}