A previously unknown "Cyberpunk" project has surfaced through a former developer's portfolio, revealing that CD Projekt Red quietly partnered with a third-party developer on a new title under the franchise.
New 'Cyberpunk' Game Is Coming, As Per Leaks
According to MP1st, who first spotted the portfolio, the unannounced project was codenamed Project Gemini, an R&D effort worked on at WayForward between 2025 and early 2026.
That R&D label typically signals early-stage development, a phase where studios prototype mechanics and test technical frameworks before committing to full production, meaning the project's current status remains unclear and could easily have been scrapped.
The portfolio described Project Gemini as a "rollback-driven" 2.5D brawler, a genre that blends flat, side-scrolling gameplay with three-dimensional character models and environments.
That description brings to mind WayForward's previous work on the "River City Girls" series, and an internal project logo reportedly paired the "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners" branding directly alongside the Gemini codename. This key information reinforces the connection to the Netflix anime spinoff.
CD Projekt Red Teams Up With WayForward
According to GameRant, WayForward is best known for developing the "Shantae" series, along with its more recent "River City Girls" brawlers. The developer's notes reportedly referenced a "rollback-safe architecture" and "online transport integration," suggesting Project Gemini was being built with online multiplayer and rollback netcode in mind.
This development focus is similar to the systems found in WayForward's latest "River City Girls" entry.
Separately, MP1st noted that WayForward had another unannounced Unreal Engine 5 project in development based on a licensed IP. This project reached a vertical slice before funding delays halted its progress and led to layoffs at the studio last September.
Whether that separate UE5 project was actually Project Gemini remains unconfirmed, though the timelines for both overlap closely enough to raise the possibility. Even if the "Cyberpunk" R&D effort was ultimately shelved, the pitch itself shows CD Projekt Red was actively exploring ways to expand the "Edgerunners" IP beyond the screen.
How Is It Different From 'Cyberpunk 2?'
CD Projekt Red has already confirmed its next major "Cyberpunk" title, known as Project Orion or "Cyberpunk 2," as the direct sequel to 2020's "Cyberpunk 2077." Project Gemini is an entirely separate, unconfirmed concept rather than any version of that mainline sequel.
Instead, Project Gemini would function as a spinoff tied specifically to "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners," the acclaimed Netflix animated series produced by Studio Trigger that helped drive renewed interest in the franchise following its 2022 debut.
A new season of "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners" is set to return later this year. However, it remains unknown which characters from the show's expanding cast Project Gemini would have centered on, since the series has continued introducing new leads beyond its original protagonist.
CD Projekt Red has previously looked outside its own studio for spinoff projects too, including reported interest in partnering with Scopely on a multiplayer "Witcher" game, showing a broader pattern of the company exploring external collaborations to expand its core franchises.
