Crunchyroll and VRV announced on Tuesday that they will exclusively stream the "Blade Runner Black Out 2022" anime short in all territories outside of Asia on September 26. Warner Brothers is releasing the shorts on YouTube in Japan only. Crunchyroll also began streaming an English-subtitled version of the video showcasing some designs and animation tests for the short.

Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo) is directing the short and writing the script. Cygames Pictures, the anime studio subsidiary smartphone game publisher Cygames established last year, is producing the animation. Shukou Murase (Halo Legends, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing) is serving as character designer and animation director, and Flying Lotus is composing the music.

The anime will take place in the year 2022, between the original Blade Runner film, which takes place in 2019, and its sequel Blade Runner 2049. The story will involve a large power outage on the west coast of the United States.

The cast includes Kenichirou Matsuda as Iggy, Ichigo Aoba as Trixie, and Makoto Furukawa as Ren.

The sequel to the 1982 film starring Harrison Ford will open in the United States on October 6 and in Japan on October 27. "Blade Runner Black Out 2022" is one of three short films that take place between the original film and the new film. Luke Scott directed the other two shorts.