While CD Projekt Red continues advancing the full sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, sometimes referred to as Project Orion, the studio may already have another smaller title in the pipeline to expand the universe. Details from a former WayForward developer’s professional portfolio have surfaced regarding an early-stage research effort connected to Netflix’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Internally known as Project Gemini, the title appears to have been shaped as a collaborative side project between CD Projekt Red and the studio behind the long-running Shantae series.
MP1st first reported the discovery of these details in the former developer’s resume. The current status of the Cyberpunk spin-off remains unclear, though research and development work was underway from 2025 into this year. Project Gemini was framed as a rollback-driven 2.5D beat-’em-up that included rollback-safe architecture and online transport integration, suggesting multiplayer capabilities were part of the design from the start.
Further findings show that WayForward had been developing a separate unannounced Unreal Engine 5 project based on a licensed franchise during the prior year. That effort progressed far enough for a vertical slice before funding delays led to its suspension in September 2025, coinciding with a round of layoffs at the studio. Whether the Unreal Engine 5 title shared any direct connection to Gemini has not been confirmed.
WayForward brings extensive experience with both licensed properties and side-scrolling brawlers to any such project. The studio built its reputation on the Shantae series while also delivering the River City Girls games, which share a similar fast-paced, anime-inspired combat style. Additional credits include Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp on Nintendo Switch, the portable classic Contra 4, and the atmospheric action title The Mummy Demastered.
CD Projekt Red remains heavily focused on The Witcher 4 as its next major single-player release while the Cyberpunk universe keeps expanding on other fronts. Netflix’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 is scheduled to premiere this fall as a new standalone 10-episode story set in Night City. The sequel centers on a fresh group of characters that includes the veteran Edgerunner Weak Kingsley living in the shadow of past glory, Snake Nation netrunner D seeking revenge for his clan, cinephile Roman Carax searching for real stories amid braindances, and Talia Yang, whose loyalties span corporate and Maelstrom circles.
