CD Projekt Red's upcoming video game, Cyberpunk 2077 has become widely anticipated across the world, with previews of the game showing us the corporates and criminals that run the underbelly of Night City. But to understand what transformed America into the neon dystopia we see in Cyberpunk, we can look at the timeline given to us by its source material, Cyberpunk 2020. Personally, I think that it gives us a lot of insight into 80's culture and future predictions of the past.
To sum it up, political violence in South Africa spirals into a genocidal civil war, while America is bogged down in a massive war in Central America. Gorbachev's successor reforms the Soviet Union and strengthens ties with the European Economic Community. A secret cabal made up of the CIA, NSC, FBI, and DEA takes over the American government, ruling from behind the scenes. As the Central American Crisis rages on, the DEA starts researching in artificial diseases to put an end to the drug trade. The plagues end up collapsing governments across South America and the World Stock Market collapses in 1994. Poverty becomes widespread while nomadic motor gangs become increasingly common.
Alcohol from genetically modified wheat ends up replacing gasoline as the top fuel source and Japan decides to put an end to Article 9. Night City is built in the Free State of Northern California by Richard Night as a utopia free of crime and poverty. However, the city falls into the hands of corporations and criminal gangs after his death. Armed conflict between companies become widespread with the Fourth Corporate War breaking out by 2022. Cybernetics, cloning, and space exploration have become lucrative businesses, among other things. What are your thoughts on the timeline and what suggestions would you give to make it more realistic/interesting?
To sum it up, political violence in South Africa spirals into a genocidal civil war, while America is bogged down in a massive war in Central America. Gorbachev's successor reforms the Soviet Union and strengthens ties with the European Economic Community. A secret cabal made up of the CIA, NSC, FBI, and DEA takes over the American government, ruling from behind the scenes. As the Central American Crisis rages on, the DEA starts researching in artificial diseases to put an end to the drug trade. The plagues end up collapsing governments across South America and the World Stock Market collapses in 1994. Poverty becomes widespread while nomadic motor gangs become increasingly common.
Alcohol from genetically modified wheat ends up replacing gasoline as the top fuel source and Japan decides to put an end to Article 9. Night City is built in the Free State of Northern California by Richard Night as a utopia free of crime and poverty. However, the city falls into the hands of corporations and criminal gangs after his death. Armed conflict between companies become widespread with the Fourth Corporate War breaking out by 2022. Cybernetics, cloning, and space exploration have become lucrative businesses, among other things. What are your thoughts on the timeline and what suggestions would you give to make it more realistic/interesting?
