The effect that Edgerunners has had on Cyberpunk 2077 cannot be overstated, as CD Projekt Red's dystopian action roleplaying game is experiencing an immense renewal of its playerbase. The Netflix anime spin-off is not only a well-told story in its own right, but it represents everything players have come to love about Night City and Cyberpunk 2077's setting of the dark future.

For those who have yet to experience Cyberpunk 2077, Edgerunners is an enticing gateway into that world, while for others it's a call that beckons them to return. CD Projekt Red has made a business-savvy decision in coinciding the release of the anime with the release of Cyberpunk 2077's Edgerunners update – which focused on polishing up the game's last remaining rough edges as it prepared the way for its expansion pack, Phantom Liberty.

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Cyberpunk 2077 achieved a new 24-hour peak on Steam with 86,130 concurrent players, more than doubling the peak it had a week ago. The developers at CD Projekt Red have expressed their gratitude on Twitter for the many new and returning players that have flocked to the game in the wake of Edgerunners' success, as over a million people now roam the streets of Night City every day.

This bodes well for the future of the franchise, if not the future of Cyberpunk 2077 – as it tells that the public interest for this intellectual property is far from dwindling. Though Phantom Liberty is the only expansion pack for Cyberpunk 2077 that's in the development pipeline, the soaring popularity of Edgerunners could convince CD Projekt Red that investing in the game before committing fully to its Unreal Engine 5 sequel might be worth the trouble.

Regardless of the outcome, CD Projekt Red is fully committed to the Cyberpunk franchise and the current events should only help increase the company's confidence in developing more games, spin-offs, and other stories in Mike Pondsmith's captivating setting. Players who are returning to Night City will find that the Edgerunners update brings several quality-of-life changes to the game, such as being able to preview an item from vendors, cross-platform progression, new hairstyles, and expanded modding support.

This is likely as polished as Cyberpunk 2077 will get before CD Projekt Red releases Phantom Liberty next year, so players who are still on the fence about giving the game a try won't find a better time to do so. Though it failed to live up to its overwhelming expectations at launch, Cyberpunk 2077 seems to be writing its name into the book of gaming's redemption stories.

Cyberpunk 2077 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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