The world of Night City is one of the biggest that CD Projekt Red has ever made. Here are some things about it that you may not know.
City at Night. A place that people both love and hate. Thieves, crooks in business, soldiers looking for work, and tough gangsters all love it because they see it as a place to make money. People hate it for almost the same reason. There are a lot of people who think it’s a bad place, and it’s easy to see why. There is a huge gap between the rich and the people with low-income. The rich use their power to stay in power at the expense of the people with low-income. People who are poor start committing crimes as a way to get back at those who hurt them and make a lot of money.
All of these things make Night City a more interesting place to read about. It is a great place for a game like Cyberpunk 2077, where the stories are harsh and players often meet strong and dishonest people. But it’s possible that not many players know most of what they need to know about this interesting place. Cyberpunk 2077’s cityscape is one of the biggest projects that creator CD Projekt Red has ever worked on, and there are a lot of little features and secrets to be found there.
Pacifica Wasn’t Totally A Lost Cause
Phantom Liberty, the new update, adds a whole new neighborhood to Night City called Dogtown. After finishing the Voodoo Boys’ tasks, players can enter this area and learn about a part of Pacifica that is even more rife with crime and debauchery than the rest of the district.
While the Unification War was still going on, there were investors who wanted to turn this part of Night City into yet another business playground. The locals, on the other hand, wouldn’t have it and fought back hard. Even the North Carolina Police Department gave up when the violence got so bad. Kurt Hansen took over the chaos and surrounded a part of Pacifica that people first called “Combat Zone” and then “Dogtown.”
Rat Fever Spread Across The City At One Point
There’s no doubt that Night City is not the cleanest city in the world. Rich people live in their own little worlds and leave poor people to fight for themselves. This leaves the city polluted with crime, corruption, and disease. There was a disease in Night City in 2072 called Rat Fever that most people thought finished off most of the people who lived there.
Although this hasn’t been proven in-game, the quick drop in population certainly backs up this idea. Night City is full of these kinds of details, and Tunnel Rush players can learn more about this rough time in the series’ past by watching one of the many news stories about it.
The City Wanted To Be Neutral During The Unification War
During her time as NUSA President, Rosalind Myers tried to federalize the free states. The Free States fought back, and the result was the Unification War between NUSA and the Free States. In this war, Militech and Arasaka showed how strong they were by going against each other and using their cutting-edge technology to help both sides.
Surprisingly, Night City stayed neutral during the war, even though it was in the Free State of California at the time. Before the Treaty of Unification was signed, the fight went on for about a year. After that, Night City was legally accepted as an international independent free city.
CD Projekt Red Hired Real-Life City Planners To Create The Area
Night City really feels like a place that people live in. It’s full to the brim with crowded boroughs, dangerous slums, and a huge desert where nomads have set up camp. There was clearly a lot of planning that went into making this beautiful cityscape.
When making this huge city, CD Projekt Red didn’t skimp on anything. It’s clear that they thought this through because they hired city managers to make Night City look its best, which is clever.
Many Consider It The Worst Place To Live In America
There is a lot of crime and injustice in Night City. It’s true that dreams can come true in this city, but it also punishes people for being too trusting or too bold. Only a few people are able to find long-term success in this area.
So it’s not a wonder that Night City has been chosen as the worst place to live in the whole of America in Cyberpunk 2077. In light of the cyberpunk nightmare that has taken over the world, this shows that Night City is a unique kind of bad.
The City Was Meant To Have A “Disneyland” Design
There are many nations, IPs, and worlds in Disneyland, all under one roof. Another interesting pattern that was used to make Night City is this one.
In one big city, Chinatown, Japantown, Corpo Plaza, Pacifica, and many other places have parts of other cultures. This makes each part of Night City look different without making it look too strange.
The City’s Birth Rate Has Fallen By Record Levels
Night City is a very bad place to live. It may be a beautiful urban sprawl sometimes, but that doesn’t help the people who live here and have to deal with its problems all the time.
The fact that the birthrate dropped by 7% in 2076 shows how much worry and death are hurting the people of Night City. It’s the third-worst drop in North America, which is very bad news.
Its Famous Slogan Replaced The City’s Previous Tagline
A lot of people know that Night City is called “The City of Dreams.” There have been many people who have either left a long mark on this city or died here, which shows how cruel it is and how ridiculous this slogan is in a way.
Another interesting fact is that Night City used to have a different slogan: “City on the Edge of Tomorrow.” It’s clear why this phrase has changed over time: Night City’s future looks very bad.
It Is An Autonomous Free City
To understand why Night City is an autonomous Free City, you must first know what it means in Cyberpunk to be an autonomous Free City. They are still part of the United States, but they have more freedom than other states. For example, they can say that federal rules don’t apply to them and even make up their own.
Night City, on the other hand, is more of an exception. It is the only place that can legally call itself a “Free City.” The government says it’s not a part of any state or country. There is no such thing as Night City. By 2077, the Arasaka megacorporation mostly runs it.
Richard Night’s Dream
Richard Night was an American businessman who saw the Collapse coming in the late 1990s. The event caused a huge drop in the economy that hurt millions of Americans of all ages and income levels. Richard Night thought of a perfect new city where the hopeful could do well so that he could escape this terrible situation. He started Night International to make this dream come true.
The company owned by Richard Night was able to get enough money to begin the big job. As soon as the Collapse happened, many companies looked to Night International as a place to set up shop where there would be no crime or poverty.
A City Run By Corporations
Richard Night’s main goal was to make a place where businesses could do well. The government in this perfect city of his would be run by businesses. Laws would be tailored to help businesses grow. For the most part, it would be a paradise for businesspeople.
Before building even started, Richard Night got EBM, Petrochem, Meril, Asukaga & Finch, and Arasaka to put money into his dream.
It Was Constructed In 1994
When Richard Night finally started building his dream city in May 1994, he reached his goal of making a metropolis of progress. Petrochem and Meril, Asukaga & Finch gave most of the money for The Night International’s project. One thing is wrong with that, though: they weren’t building companies.
So, they hired the West Coast Mobs, which included the Mafia, the Yakuza, and other groups, to watch over the building of the city.
It Had A Different Name
When Richard Night first thought about building his dream city, he called it “Coronado City.” While the city was being built, Richard Night was constantly getting death threats. Crowds often messed up the work, and he got threats every day.
Partner of Richard Night ruled over these problems with a strong hand. But on September 20, 1998, about four years after the city was first built, Richard Night tragically passed away in his rooftop room. No one ever found out who attacked him. The city was officially changed its name to Night City in honor of Richard Night.
The City Stands On A Massacre Site
In the past, when Richard Night was still looking for land to build his dream city, he read a story about a dead town where a terrible slaying had happened. Morro Bay was the name of this place.
Richard Night was able to get the land for less money because of its past. Then, the Arasaka Corporation was brought in to get rid of the gangs that were hanging out there. This made the area a safe place for everyone, which is necessary for work to start. Richard Night and his partners changed the name of the land to Del Coronado Bay to separate their dream city from the massacre that happened there.
The Mob War
Things only got worse for the mobs after Richard Night died. The gangs had grown into a very strong force in Night City by 2005. Over the years, the companies that built Night City and the gangs that wanted to run it would fight in what became known as the Mob War.
Most of their resources were put into the war, and it was easy to win after Arasaka sent a lot of well-trained militia men to fight the mobs. In the following years, work would be done to rebuild, revitalize, and make sure that Night City was a safe place to live, free of crime and gangs. Of course, that could only last so long.
The Time Of Red
During the Fourth Corporate War, Night City was a key battleground. Arasaka Corporation and Militech International Armaments played a big role in the war. Militech chose to bomb the Arasaka Tower, which was one of the largest buildings in the world at the time, during the height of the war to destroy the Arasaka master database.
Johnny Silverhand personally set off this bomb, but most of the people who helped with the attack didn’t know how destructive it was. The blast slaughtered 12,000 people, and more died in the days that followed. The blast made a cloud of dust, and the little pieces in it turned the sky a bright red color. People who were there called it “The Time of Red.”
Lack Of Animals In Night City
By 2077, it’s very rare to see animals in Night City. But it wasn’t always like this. Things changed when diseases spread by animals hit Night City in the second half of the 21st century. It got so bad that by 2061, about 12,000 people had died.
The city council got rid of animals, mostly birds, because of this. People can still own pets, but they have to be ready to pay huge tax bills.
Real-Life Location And Inspiration
The original author of the Cyberpunk board games, Mike Pondsmith, says that Night City is in the area between Morro Bay and Baywood-Los Osos. But if you look at Night City, you can’t tell the difference between it and real places because it has been changed to fit the story.
The layout of Night City in Cyberpunk 2013 and 2020 games is a lot like the street grid in downtown San Francisco. Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City was based on ideas from Blade Runner, Akira, and Ghost in the Shell, according to CD Projekt Red.
