Night City

Night City is a dystopian, autonomous city-state in California, nestled between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A haven of corporate ambition and uncontrolled capitalism, it is also a hub for organized crime, gang violence, and immense poverty. Its history is marked by periods of ambitious idealism, chaotic lawlessness, and corporate control, leading up to its status as a "Free City" in 2077. 

Founding and the era of Mob Rule

  • Richard Night's utopian vision (1990s): Industrialist Richard Night, foreseeing a global collapse, envisioned a new kind of city—a corporate-run utopia free from government bureaucracy, crime, and poverty.

  • Corporate backing: In 1992, Night secured funding from powerful megacorporations like Arasaka and Petrochem for his project, initially named Coronado City.

  • Mob infiltration and murder: Construction began in 1994, but the powerful West Coast mobs also invested, hoping to control the city's illegal rackets. Night resisted their influence and was assassinated in his penthouse in 1998. In his honor, the city was renamed Night City.

  • Chaos and corporate intervention: After Night's death, the city fell into a brutal period of mob rule and gang violence. By 2009, the megacorporations launched a "Mob War," using paramilitary forces to wipe out the underworld factions and install a corporate-friendly city council. 

Corporate control and the Fourth Corporate War

  • Corporate Reign (2011–2021): The megacorporations, particularly Arasaka, brought order to Night City through ruthless policies. While the downtown area flourished, affordable housing was replaced by corporate structures, leading to a huge homeless population.

  • Johnny Silverhand's raid (2013): The first major incident to shake corporate power occurred in 2013 when rockerboy Johnny Silverhand led an attack on Arasaka Tower to rescue his girlfriend, the netrunner Alt Cunningham.

  • The Fourth Corporate War (2021–2023): As the conflict between Arasaka and Militech escalated, Night City became a key battleground. In August 2023, a Militech strike team, including Johnny Silverhand, detonated a tactical nuke in Arasaka Tower, intending to destroy their master database.

  • The Time of the Red: The nuke leveled the city's center and caused an airburst that coated the region in dust, causing the sky to appear a constant red for years. The period became known as "The Time of the Red". 

The Time of the Red and Reconstruction

  • Political fallout: The U.S. President, a former Militech CEO, nationalized Militech and blamed the bombing on Arasaka in what became known as "The Big Lie". Arasaka was banned from North America, but the NUSA largely abandoned Night City.

  • Nomad assistance: Left on its own, Night City relied on assistance from external resources, including the nomad clan Aldecaldos, to begin rebuilding.

  • Arasaka's return: In the 2040s, an independent media revealed that Militech was responsible for the nuke. The public, disillusioned with the NUSA's abandonment, grew receptive to Arasaka's return, seeing it as the lesser of two evils. 

The Free City (2070 and beyond)

  • Unification War and autonomy (2069–2070): The NUSA once again tried to exert control over the region during the Unification War. With Arasaka's help, Night City was able to fight off NUSA forces and negotiate its status as a fully autonomous, international "Free City" in 2070.

  • Arasaka's new dominance: Arasaka was allowed to return to the city and established a new headquarters in the rebuilt Corporate Plaza, solidifying its influence.

  • A tale of two cities: By 2077, the gleaming towers of the megacorporations coexist with a sprawling, desperate underworld. The promise of the "City of Dreams" lives on, but mostly for those with wealth and influence, while the rest fight for survival in a dangerous, corrupt system.