A reported Cyberpunk Edgerunners brawler codenamed Gemini may have been in R&D at WayForward, but CD Projekt has not announced it and its status is unclear.
Image: gameblog.fr
A reported Edgerunners brawler exists in the gap between leak and announcement
The strongest detail in the Cyberpunk Edgerunners game rumor is also the reason to keep both feet planted. MP1st reportedly found references to an unannounced project codenamed Gemini in the portfolio of a former WayForward developer, with multiple outlets including Eurogamer, IGN, Push Square, Polygon, GameSpot, and Wccftech citing that report. The project is described as a Cyberpunk: Edgerunners adaptation tied to CD Projekt Red and WayForward, the studio best known for Shantae and the River City Girls games.
The immediate tension is status. According to Eurogamer and Polygon, the portfolio described Gemini as an R&D project, with development activity listed between 2025 and 2026. Push Square says the source no longer works at WayForward, while IGN reports that it is unclear whether the project remains in development. CD Projekt has not announced a Cyberpunk Edgerunners brawler, and IGN says CD Projekt declined to comment when contacted.
That puts this in the rumor column, not the release calendar. There is no confirmed platform list, release window, price, trailer, store page, rating, or official title. For now, the useful read is narrower: a WayForward Cyberpunk rumor points to CD Projekt exploring a smaller Cyberpunk spin-off game around Edgerunners, but the public record does not prove that players will ever get to buy it.
What Gemini is reported to be, and what is still missing
The reported concept is specific enough to be interesting. Eurogamer says Gemini was described as a “smaller side game” based on the Cyberpunk 2077 anime spin-off Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Polygon says the portfolio labeled it as a CDPR title in the R&D phase and included an internal logo using Cyberpunk: Edgerunners branding with the Gemini name. IGN describes the game as a 2.5D brawler from WayForward, based on details attributed to an unnamed former employee.
The technical descriptors matter. Eurogamer reports references to a “rollback-driven 2.5D brawler,” “rollback-safe architecture,” and “online transport integration.” Polygon also cites the rollback-driven brawler description. That language suggests the project was not framed only as a local couch co-op beat ‘em up, at least at the concept or early production level. It was apparently being thought through with online play in mind.
The missing pieces are larger than the named pieces. None of the cited outlets reports confirmed characters, stages, platforms, player count, art direction, combat system details, or whether the story would adapt the first Edgerunners season or use new material. There is also no official confirmation from WayForward in the provided source material. Treat the codename, studio connection, genre, and R&D timing as reported details. Treat everything about launch plans as unanswered.
Why a 2D Edgerunners brawler would fit the brand
As a fighting game and brawler player, the genre match is the part of this rumor that scans. Edgerunners is built on fast silhouette reads, violent close-range collisions, exaggerated weapons, cyberware bursts, and sudden momentum shifts. That is clean brawler language. A good belt-scroller lives on enemy spacing, hit-stun rhythm, crowd routing, invincibility windows, recovery time, and whether your panic button actually gets you out of the corner. Night City’s body-mod chaos maps naturally onto that grammar.
WayForward is also a logical name to attach to the pitch. Push Square and Polygon both point to the studio’s Shantae history and River City Girls work, while Eurogamer specifically notes WayForward’s connection to Double Dragon Neon and River City Girls. Those games sit close to the design lane Gemini is reportedly targeting: side-view action, expressive animation, combo-friendly encounters, and readable character archetypes.
That does not mean the rumored Cyberpunk Edgerunners brawler would automatically be good. Edgerunners’ brand is speed, pressure, and consequences. A brawler that only borrows the logo and adds neon backgrounds would feel thin fast. The fit is compelling because the anime’s visual identity gives designers clear tools: cyberware cooldowns, ranged harassment, launcher routes, body-horror finishers, gang-specific enemy kits, and boss fights that can turn a screen into a knowledge check. Those are design opportunities, not confirmed features.
Rollback is the detail competitive players should notice
The word “rollback” is the sharpest technical clue in the report. In fighting games, rollback netcode is used to keep online play responsive by predicting inputs and correcting state when needed. A brawler is not a one-on-one fighter, but the same principle matters if the game asks players to dodge, parry, punish, juggle, or coordinate wake-up pressure online. Delay-based online can make simple crowd control feel mushy. Rollback, when implemented well, protects the timing layer.
Eurogamer’s mention of “rollback-safe architecture” is especially interesting because that phrase sounds like an early systems concern rather than a marketing bullet. You generally do not sprinkle rollback onto a finished action game without pain. Animation states, enemy AI, physics interactions, item drops, hit reactions, and co-op synchronization all have to behave predictably enough for rollback to work. If Gemini was being planned around that from R&D, the team may have been trying to solve the hardest part early.
There is a caveat. The sources do not confirm Gemini’s player count or whether online multiplayer would have shipped. “Online transport integration” indicates online infrastructure was part of the reported work, according to Eurogamer, but it does not confirm final mode support. Still, for players who care about feel, this is the difference between a licensed brawler you sample once and a co-op action game with real lab potential.
The cancellation shadow around the WayForward Cyberpunk rumor
The uncertainty around Gemini is not vague because outlets are being coy. It is vague because the reported trail appears to run through portfolio material and separate employment or project findings, not an official reveal. Eurogamer reports that MP1st could not confirm Gemini’s current status. Push Square says it is unclear whether the title ever fully got off the ground, even though the project was reportedly in some form of production as recently as this year.
IGN adds the most important caution: MP1st reportedly found that WayForward had an unannounced game based on an external franchise canceled last year after losing funding, with layoffs following in September, but it is unknown whether that project was Gemini or something else. Eurogamer similarly reports separate findings about a WayForward Unreal Engine 5 project whose funding delays allegedly halted development after a vertical slice and led to layoffs. Polygon also notes reports of a halted unannounced project and says that if it was Gemini, the game may no longer be active.
That “if” is doing a lot of work. It would be irresponsible to say the Edgerunners brawler is canceled based on the provided sources. It would also be irresponsible to treat it as alive. The fairest reading is that Gemini may have existed in R&D at WayForward, may have progressed far enough to have technical architecture and internal branding, and may or may not have survived whatever happened to WayForward’s separate unannounced external-franchise project.
CD Projekt has reasons to test smaller Cyberpunk projects
Even with the caveats, the business logic is easy to see. Cyberpunk 2077 remains an active franchise for CD Projekt, with Polygon noting that CD Projekt Red has confirmed work on a sequel codenamed Project Orion. IGN reports Cyberpunk 2 is in development and says 163 people were working on it as of the end of April. A large open-world sequel is a long runway. A smaller Cyberpunk spin-off game would give the publisher another way to keep the setting visible without waiting for the next mainline RPG.
Edgerunners is also doing franchise work outside games. IGN says Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is set to return for more episodes, and Polygon reports a second season is due this fall. Eurogamer points to Edgerunners Season 2 and a Cyberpunk trading card game as examples of the series staying active while the next Cyberpunk game remains further out. Polygon also notes that Edgerunners has crossed over with other games, including Lucy appearing in Guilty Gear Strive and Wuthering Waves.
That context makes a River City Girls developer handling an Edgerunners brawler plausible, but not confirmed. Licensed side projects often live or die on scope, approvals, funding, and timing. A brawler can be cheaper than a mainline RPG while still demanding strong animation, netcode, encounter design, and brand oversight. If Gemini was real, the smart pitch would be focused: sharp combat, strong co-op, a short campaign with replay value, and no attempt to impersonate Cyberpunk 2077’s open-world scale.
Player guidance: wait for CD Projekt or WayForward before believing launch talk
For players searching for a Cyberpunk Edgerunners game, the practical answer is simple: there is nothing to buy, wishlist, pre-order, or sign up for based on the provided sources. No storefront listing has been cited. No rating board has surfaced in the source material. No platform holder has announced it. CD Projekt has not revealed Gemini, and IGN reports that CD Projekt declined to comment.
If the project is still alive, the next credible signals would be official. That could be a CD Projekt announcement, a WayForward reveal, a trailer, a store page, a platform listing, or a rating board entry. A second wave of portfolio screenshots or anonymous claims may add texture, but it would not answer the buyer questions that matter: when it launches, where it launches, whether online co-op is included, how rollback is implemented, and whether the combat has enough depth to last past the credits.
The idea is strong. A 2.5D Edgerunners brawler from WayForward could fit the anime’s aggression and the studio’s side-scrolling strengths. The report is also bounded by uncertainty. Until CD Projekt or WayForward puts a name, date, and platform list on it, Gemini should be treated as a promising rumor with real design logic and no confirmed release path.