Love it or hate it, Cyberpunk 2077 undeniably has one of the most detailed, interesting game worlds of all time. Set in a dystopian version of the USA in the near future, the game may have initially divided opinion during its turbulent launch that was plagued with bugs and glitches, but developer CD Projekt Red has worked hard to rectify this, and right now the game is in a much stronger position with upcoming DLC Phantom Liberty underlining this point. In terms of world design, Cyberpunk 2077 leaves very little to the imagination, with its lore breaking down exactly how events unfolded around the turn of the century that led the USA down the dark path it finds itself on.
The lore on display in Cyberpunk 2077 is not solely reserved for the game itself. Events actually take place in a shared universe with other Cyberpunk properties, including the recent Netflix animated series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Starting with a fictional stock market crash of 94, a series of catastrophic events serve to isolate the New United States as its economy effectively collapses around it. Through a series of actions, a political faction known as the Gang of Four was heavily involved in this collapse.
Cyberpunk's Gang of Four and The Collapse
After forming at an unspecified time during the 20th Century, the Gang of Four began to amass significant political power and influence. The end of the Cold War in 1989 triggered the beginning of a rift between Europe and the US, which only became larger over time. The Gang of Four found itself fighting covert wars on numerous fronts: it began sabotaging Europe's stock markets and sabotaging the rest of Europe's talks with Russia, and at the same time it was engaged in a turf war between nations from Central and South America over the drug trade. This eventually led to a full-scale Central American War, which culminated in the cartel detonating a small nuclear weapon in New York City in 1993.
While this internal conflict continued in the US, Europe had become aware of its interference in the stock markets and decided to leak this information to news outlets around the world. Subsequently, this crashed the US market, devalued the dollar to the point where the federal government were physically printing more money, and led to widespread poverty, unemployment, and civil unrest. Within Cyberpunk's lore, this event became known as The Collapse.
During this ecological collapse, an incredible 100 million people died, from a combination of terrorism, virus and diseases, and general poverty. The US found itself completely isolated from the rest of the world, and in complete political and economical turmoil, from which it appeared there was no way back. 90% of the country's wealth was being controlled by 10% of the US population. Many citizens were homeless, becoming nomads and aimlessly wandering the US. Around this period of time, a wealthy man by the name of Richard Night began to dream of creating a new, safe city. On its eventual construction, and following Richard's death, it would become known as Night City in his honor.
With governments effectively bankrupt, this created an opportunity for mega-rich corporations to step in and seize control of the political and financial landscape. Companies such as Militech and the Arasaka Corporation looked to use this situation to further their own agendas and create more unrest across the country. Some states, such as California, Texas and Oregon, began breaking away from the others and forming their own 'Free States' conforming to their own sets of laws. During this turbulent period, the Gang of Four was finally disbanded.
Forming the New United States
During the 2020's, America was far from the superpower it had grown accustomed to being. The New United States was being run by President Elizabeth Kress in what was effectively a Dictatorship. National elections were simply not taking place, with many of the Free States holding their own local elections instead. What remained of the Federal Government still operated out of Washington DC, but it only controlled mostly eastern states with a couple of exceptions. Most Western 'Free' States simply followed their own rules and used mercenary armies to keep the peace. Night City was among these Free States, but remained somewhat neutral, operating as a free trade zone.
This all changed during an event known as the Unification War during 2069. This war, which last over a year, pitted the NUSA against the Free States. The new president of the NUSA had proposed a full unification in order to restore the once great nation to something resembling its former self, but predictably, many of the Free States opposed this. Just when it seemed Night City would be drawn into this conflict, The Arasaka Corporation was able to flex its military might and fend off an invasion.
The war finally drew to a close with the Free States signing a treaty that effectively allowed them to remain independent, on the proviso that they engaged with the Federal Government in matters concerning them, as well as ceasing all hostility. By the time the year 2077 came around though, relations between the NUSA and Free States had deteriorated once again. Night City, being positioned right in-between one of the most powerful Free States in North California, and one of the NUSA's biggest supporters in South California, was in an increasingly hostile position.
It is against this backdrop that events in Cyberpunk 2077 play out. The upcoming DLC titled Phantom Liberty takes place in the Pacifica Combat Zone, an area within Night City that was previously inaccessible to players. This area is said to be under the control of dangerous militia groups, and is earmarked as the most dangerous part of Night City. Unknown events appear to lead the protagonist V to pledge his allegiance to the NUSA, and it remains to be seen how this forms part of the bigger political picture within the complex world of Cyberpunk.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.