With the plot for Cyberpunk 2077 being largely unknown, I thought we would talk about what has happened in the world of Night City prior to 2077. I think It’s safe to assume the story will not be an exact continuation from Cyberpunk 2020 where the Cyberpunk narrative was first fully developed.
This is because CD Projekt Red has stated that they’ve juggled the timeline of prior events to fit with their vision of 2077’s current events. This doesn’t mean however, that large portions of the story won’t be similar, or even a continuation of Night City’s dark and loaded history.
Today we lay a foundation of understanding on what’s happened in the world of Cyberpunk and Night City that’s lead up to present times.
Cyberpunk 2020 takes place In the year 2020 in Night City, an area of 5 million people on the west coast of the United States somewhere between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Following an event called “The Collapse” in which there was a socio-economic depression, the United States government has begun to heavily rely on Mega-corporations to keep the nation afloat. As you can imagine, with all the power lying on the shoulders of the Megacorporations, this gives them overruling authority of Night City.
There are a bunch of Megacorporations in this time, but the notable ones are Militech and Arasaka, who have been butting heads since their inceptions.
Militech is an arms company, whilst Arasaka provides corporate security and police to other corporations and governmental bodies.
Now Cyberpunk 2020’s main plotline is told in 3 separate parts called The Firestorm Triology, although the last part never actually came out. This gleaves us with lingering questions that CDPR can address in 2077 should It choose to follow this path.
In late 2021 two major rivalling aquatech companies are back and forth over a third corporation. Each side brings in another megacorporation as the situation escalates, with Militech Being in one corner and Arasaka being in the other corner.
Each company is trying to aquire stock in a related third corporation and thus the Ocean War is started.
During the Ocean War, a variety of things happen
First combat netrunners were recruited by each of the corporations to make runs on stock holdings and muscle their way into acquiring them for their respective companies through the Net.
NetWatch who are essentially the Net Police and work for The Net warn both Arasaka and Militech to stop their net activities with a 12 hour communications embargo.
Militech recruits grizzled Solo Hero and world class Mercenary Morgan Blackhand to oversee securirty operations during this time to bolster their intelligence.
With war brewing banks start to step in namely Eurobank, to increase profits by offering both Militech and Arasaka loans to help in their fight against each other. Both Militech and Arasaka refuse and Eurobank tries to manipulate them into agreement. Megacorps may have unscrupulous morales, anbut the banks are no different.
There is a settlement after turmoil dies down and a peace accord is signed between Militech and Arasaka, oddly enough with the help of Eurobank.
Now the Ocean war had devolved into Militech and Arasaka taking the spotlight from the Aquatech corporations that hired them. Whilst these Aquatech corps fell back into a calmer state, Militech and Arasaka were plotting their next move, and by early 2022 a violent shadow war had begun with Militech and Arasaka trying to covertly hit each other in the pocket books as well as on the frontline with hired mercenaries, cyber-assassins and netrunners.
Now during the Shadow War Arasaka was deep in developing a the Soulkiller Program 2.5, a weaponized computer program that would trap the consciousness of a netrunner on the net forever, forcing their minds to float endlessly in cyber Space.
They can also use this program to unravel Militech secrets and breach into their installations, projects and plans.
With Militech desperate to protect themselves from this devastating program, they reach out to Rache Bartmoss, the best netrunner in the world for help. He refuses their offer, so Militech contact Alt Cunningham, who created the beta version of the Soulkiller and now wants to see its destruction. Alt agrees to get back at Arasaka who has wronged her in the past, and she convinces Bartmoss to join in the campaign.
Bartmoss hits hard and manages to hack himself into Arasaka Killer Satellites to destroy Arasaka’s space factories. Arasaka proceeds to put out a huge bounty on Rache Bartmoss.
Bartmoss, however is deceptive and cunning and ends up locating the Soulkiller master program, and although killed in the process, deploys an unknown program into the Soulkiller.
Alt also, involved in the mission, is absorbed by the Soulkiller.
Continued in Video ...
Credits to ceedoceedo on Instagram + DeviantArt, and C33D0 on reddit for the image in the Thumbnail!