WayForward Developer’s Leaked Portfolio Exposes a Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2.5D Brawler That CDPR May or May Not Have Quietly Killed

Jul 28, 2026 at 11:45am EDT
An illustration featuring Cyberpunk: Edgerunners characters from CD Projekt Red and WayForward, with the respective logos prominently displayed.
RUMOR ASSESSMENT

75%

Probable

CD Projekt RED has reportedly been working with Shantae developer WayForward on a Cyberpunk: Edgerunners project codenamed Gemini.

The rumor comes from MP1st, which discovered the news from the portfolio of a former WayForward developer, who listed this project as in development as of 2025-2026. Of course, there's no telling whether the concept moved forward or was scrapped, as is often the case in game studios. Still, the few details available point to a "rollback-driven" 2.5D beat'em up, which could have fit the anime style of Edgerunners. WayForward also has some experience in the genre thanks to the River City Girls franchise.

Related Story Cyberpunk 2077 Renewed Sales Made 2022 CD Projekt Red’s Second-Best Year Ever

Regardless of this leaked project's status, it's interesting that CD Projekt RED has considered investing specifically in Edgerunners. Then again, the overwhelmingly positive reception to the anime series available on Netflix certainly didn't leave the Polish studio indifferent. In fact, as you may recall, it was among the main factors that contributed to the resurgence of Cyberpunk 2077 following its highly problematic launch.

When CD Projekt RED told fans there would be no season 2, that level of unbridled enthusiasm turned down a notch. Eventually, though, the Polish developer announced Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, a standalone 10-episode sequel series featuring a completely new story and cast of characters. Its narrative shifts away from the rise of young mercenaries and instead dives into themes of family, obsession, legacy, and media obsession in Night City.

The main plot follows two intertwining paths:

  1. The Fall of a Legend: A former top-tier edgerunner who has been stripped of his cyberware and forced to navigate Night City without chrome.
  2. A Nomad's Vendetta: A Snake Nation netrunner seeking vengeance for his destroyed clan, drawing him straight toward dangerous corporate secrets.

So far, the following characters have been confirmed:

CharacterVoice Actor (JP)Background & Description
WeakKentaro ToneOnce known as "King," he was a veteran edgerunner at the peak of the game. Now chromeless and forgotten, he struggles to find purpose in a city that passed him by.
DKoki UchiyamaA skilled netrunner from the Snake Nation nomad clan. He is driven by a ruthless hunger for revenge against the killer who wiped out his people.
RomanMomoka TerasawaA young cinephile chasing raw truth in a world obsessed with braindances. Roman documents Night City's stories, only to learn they rarely have clean endings.
TaliaAkari KitoBorn in corporate towers but raised in the grip of Maelstrom, she is fiercely independent and steeped in the gang's hyper-violent, chrome-obsessed culture.

Cyberpunk 2077 recently surpassed 40 million units sold, which puts the game right around the Top 20 of the best-selling games ever made. CD Projekt RED is already hard at work on the sequel, codenamed Orion, though it may be several years before it's out.

About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.

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