Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Nearly Had a Darker Conclusion

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is generating a lot of buzz as fans eagerly await the reveal of the acclaimed anime’s second season on June 29. Before we dive into a fresh cast of characters in Night City, writer Bartosz Sztybor has shared that the first season could have ended in an even more heartbreaking way than the emotional finale we experienced.

In a recent interview, Sztybor disclosed that a happy ending was never part of the plan for Edgerunners, and there were discussions about even darker conclusions during the show’s development. In the final version, our hero David Martinez meets his end at the hands of Cyberpunk’s infamous Adam Smasher, while his girlfriend Lucy escapes to a lunar colony, fulfilling her long-held dream. It’s a bittersweet moment, as David’s sacrifice enables Lucy to achieve her goal, but he won’t be there to share in her joy.

However, earlier drafts of the story painted a much grimmer picture for David.

“There was never a happy ending,” Sztybor explained. “There were even worse endings. One concept had David surviving but being captured by Arasaka, forcing him to fight in Africa or South America during the Corporate Wars.”

The Corporate Wars in Cyberpunk refer to the violent conflicts between various corporate factions, highlighting how these entities view human life merely as a resource. David’s journey in Edgerunners, like many Cyberpunk narratives, revolves around his struggle to escape the corporate machine and carve out his own identity in a city that seeks to consume him. In the final cut, he dies for a cause he believes in, while in this alternate ending, he would have likely perished fighting for something he opposed his entire life. Both scenarios are tragic, but the ending we received carries a poetic weight that feels less bleak.

As for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, it will introduce a new set of characters. While details are still under wraps, we did catch a glimpse of one character who seems to be a Media at the Annecy Animation Festival earlier this week.