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Whether you know the place from recent video games, or you’re an old-school fan of the TTRPG setting, you’ll know thatCyberpunk 2077’s Night City is a place that can leave its mark. The place is like a character of its own, promising the world and engulfing all within its maw.
What makes the setting so good is its rich history, filled with historical details that explain how such a place came to be, and the powers that control it. If you’re looking to deepen your knowledge of Night City, strap in because there’s a lot hidden below the surface.
Coronado Partnership And City Naming (1992 - 1998)
The concept of Night City was developed by Richard Night, as a response to the impending Collapse of 1996. This event was marked by the dissolution of the World Bank and the World Stock Exchange, leading the United States government to run out of ways to borrow money and the eventual plummeting of the value of the dollar.
With this Collapse in mind, Richard Night used his experience and contacts in business to devise his dream City.It would be a truly Free City, independent of government mediation and able to regulate itself, while also being a safe haven from the impending Collapse, where people would be free of harm and Companies would be able to continue doing business.
For this dream City to be realized, Richard Night needed an unfathomable amount of funding, yet his dream was one shared by many who saw the Collapse coming, sohe managed to get the initial fundingfrom some of the most renowned companies in the world.This led to the formation of the Coronado Partnershipin 1992, with Arasaka, Euro Business Machines, and Petrochem as its main members.
After much scouting, the ideal place for the City ended up being Morro Bay, a small town located on the Central California coast. It was ideal since it was a ghost town after the many gang wars that had taken place there, so Night and his business partners set their plans in motion: Petrochem dealt with acquiring the land, while Arasaka removed the many gangs from their now-owned terrain.
Construction officially began in 1994, but not without hiccups. Since none of the Partners were construction companies, they needed outside help,ending up having to employ the West Coast Mobs(like the Mafia and Yakuza, among others), since they had a choke hold on the construction market.
The Mobs wanted not only the profit from the construction work but also to have a foot already inside the Free City, so they could control the drug traffic, prostitution, and the like. This went against Richard Night’s ideals, and he fought hard to keep them out of the city.
Night had several threats towards his life, most likely made by the Mobs, andwith his insistence to keep them off his City, he was assassinated in 1998. In his honor,it was decided the City would be named Night City, instead of the originally planned Coronado City name.
The Mob Reign (1998 - 2011)
After Richard Night’s death, his wifeMiriam Night founded the Night Corporation, intending to make Night City fulfill the visions of grandeur its creator had. Yet even with the Night Corporation doing its best,the rulers of this era of Night City were the Mobs.
The most affected area of this time was the suburbs, located south of Central Night City, where gangs spread like wildfire andthe Night City Police Department was nearly non-existent due to a lack of funds(since the Mobs and corporations were eating away at them). These suburbs ended up being known asthe Combat Zone, a lawless area where only the strong would survive, and the only solutions proposed were to wall off the entire area or demolish it; however, nothing was done in the end.
The corporations allowed the Mobs to run rampant, as long as they didn’t interfere with their business, allowing crime organizations to rule the city with an iron fist since there was little to no one stopping them.The entire City Council was composed of Mob puppets, making Night City the heart and soul of corruption and violence for the entire country, even during the worst of the Collapse.
Eventually,the Mob’s dealings started to get in the way of the Corporations' business, and in 2009 the Corporations retaliated. This began what was known asthe Mob War, led mainly by Arasaka’s forces, who decimated the Mob’s hold of the city in two years.
By the end of the Mob War,the puppets of the City Council were replaced by corporate-controlled ones, allowing corporate security forces full authority within city limits. The city centers were cleaned out to their initial pristine state, except for far-gone areas like the Combat Zone.
Corporate Reign (2011 - 2021)
Under Corporate rule, the streets were safer but far from safe. They also renovated much of what was destroyed in the Mob era, but newer housing meant higher upkeep prices, so whenpeople who couldn’t pay were left homeless, those homes were used by Corporate armed forces.
Night City was officially deemed part of the Free State of Northern California in 2012 in the Northern Separation Treaty.
By 2013, the Corporation rule proved to be ruthless but effective, withservices that were non-existent now starting to have a real role in society, like the police and other support services. It might not be ideal, but for the average citizen, things were certainly better.
In that same year, an event that fans of Cyberpunk 2077 will recognize happened:Johnny Silverhand, a famous Rockerboy, held a riot concert outside Arasaka Towerto save his girlfriend, Alt Cunningham. It led to many casualties and the near destruction of the tower,later replaced with the two Arasaka Towers.
Still, the Corporations kept control as usual, and the city grew because of it.The streets weren’t safe, but the economic growth was clear, and now the Night City Police Department had real power to keep the streets safe, although when things got out of hand, they still depended on the Corporation forces to step in.
Night City in 2020 was a corporate heavenwhere deals got made and money was traded. While not the crime-free city of Richard Night’s dreams, it was a functional metropolis that attracted many to its gates.
Corporate War And Nuclear Fallout (2021 - 2025)
Corporate Wars were an increasingly common occurrence, with Corporations holding too much power and firearms constantly going after each other.When the Fourth War came around, Night City became its central stagedue to its Free City Status, withthe main players being Arasaka and Militech.
The scale of the conflict made citizens remember the Mob rule fondly since now they had to worry about being trampled by tanks. Yetthe biggest disaster was yet to come, specifically in 2023 when Militech infiltrated the Arasaka Towers.
The assault was led by none other than Johnny Silverhand, andaimed to detonate a tactical nuke at Arasaka’s main research facility. The idea was for the facility’s own reinforced walls to hold the blast, but the nuke was detonated prematurely,leading to the complete collapse of the Towers, the presumed death of Johnny, and thousands of casualties.
The blast having triggered near the top of the Towers lessened the damage to the overall City, yet it was still a nuclear blast.The area around the Towers was decimated, and even further away, water pipes and other buildings were damaged beyond repair.
Most citizens were already immune to radiation thanks to their many implants, yet it still affected the environment. For years to come, the skies would glow red during dusk and dawn, makingthe people who lived through the period call it the Time of the Red.
After the nuclear disaster,US President Elizabeth Kress nationalized Militech, placing it under the control of the US military.The President publicly blamed the disaster on Arasaka, banning them from US soil; while she would later learn that the disaster was caused by Militech, the measures were kept.
The Aftermath And Rebuilding (2025 - 2069)
President Kress pushed forward with her version of the events, calling Arasaka leaders terrorists and urging them to take responsibility for the disaster. While the public was never set on what version to believe (since Arasaka made its propaganda tour),the President aimed to damage the company’s name.
This was made in an attempt to seize control over Night City, making it part of the New United States of America. The NUSA didn’t have the resources to help Night City rebuild, and neither did the President want to; she just tried to seize an opportunity in their time of weakness.
Even through all that,Night City remained a Free City, and Arasaka’s public image recovered in due time. Still, all these companies were not construction companies, so they would need help in the rebuilding effort.
The initial rebuilding was led by the Aldecados nomad clan and the StormTech Corporation, and they started their work in 2035. They had experience turning temporary housing from shipping containers, among other emergency construction, so they were key in the beginning stages of the rebuilding effort.
The Night Corporation and City Counciloffered hefty rewards to those who volunteered to clear the nuclear wreckage,and thus, the grounds of the old Arasaka Towers were ready to be built on again.
Even after the rebuilding efforts,many new Combat Zones emerged with rampant Gang Wars.
This was a new dawn for Night City, with many advances in economy and technology and minimal military destruction:
Unification War (2069 - 2070)
In 2069,US President Rosalind Myers looked to unify all free states under NUSA rule.Using the excuse of strengthening the nation, the NUSA military forces marched towards the free states, and whileNight City wanted to remain neutralin the conflict, it would find that hard to accomplish.
Night City was still part of the Free State of Northern California, which wanted to remain a Free State, whileSouth California decided to side with the NUSA. The armed forces of both states marched forward, and Night City was right in the middle.
In the end, it wasArasaka’s involvement and military might that stopped the conflict from ever reaching the City’s walls. After this, the Treaty of Unification was signed in 2070, and among its stipulations,it declared Night City a true Free City, independent of all States.
This allled to Arasaka having a greater hold in the City, both in public opinion and in governmental presence. This also led to Corporations wanting to once again invest in Pacifica, but local resistance proved too great. Eventually, Pacifica became another Combat Zone.
Present Times (2070 - 2077)
The following years after the War saw Night City maintain a status quo,with Arasaka as the major player in power and the Free status being maintained. Throughout the years, the most notable change is the rarity of animal sightings, due to extermination efforts and the exorbitant pet fees, with cats being maintained by neighborhoods but owned by no one.
Night City continues to be run by a democratically elected mayor, with a corporate-controlled City Council.The current elected mayor is Jefferson Peralez, although the circumstances of his election remain to be investigated.
