Cyberpunk 2077 Lore Fourth Corporate War
The Fourth Corporate War, otherwise known as the Ocean War, began in late 2021, as two oceanic exploitation corporations, CINO and OTEC fought for control over the remains of a third, IHA. The rivalry was bitter, and hostilities escalated rapidly after a brutal fiscal struggle.
OTEC gained the upper hand by hiring Militech to protect their security interests. CINO responded by contracting Arasaka. The first attacks were carried out discreetly, some midlevel corporate officials were assassinated, and some dirty information was stolen and revealed.
Netrunners were hired by both sides, and they made dozens of attacks on data and stock holdings, which wrought chaos on the global economy. By the time Eurobank had successfully mediated a truce between CINO and OTECH, the real conflict had transitioned to Militech and Arasaka, and by 2022, the Shadow War began.
Conflict during the Shadow War phase was more overt and brutal, with Mercs and Edgerunners, executing covert ops and raids on military and research facilities. Despite the visceral nature of the conflict, the deadliest battle actually occurred on the Net when corporate and mercenary netrunners released a new generation of devastating viral programs upon each other.
By June of 2022, Militech and Arasaka decided that niceties and subtlety were altogether no longer necessary, and the conflict reached the third stage, the Hot War, otherwise known as full-scale war. Global trade was paralyzed by military action and market collapse.
International trade routes were hit hard, and piracy raged free and unchecked. As the flames of physical conflict burned bright, NetWatch struggled to protect the Net. Weakened by the destruction of global servers and databanks and ravaged by thousands of malicious viruses and demon programs, the Net died.
On August 20th, 2023, Arasaka Towers in Night City was wiped out by a tactical nuclear weapon detonated by a group of unidentified mercenaries. Some sources implicated the Atlantis Group, including such legends as Rogue, Morgan Blackhand, and Johnny Silverhand, but there wasn’t enough evidence to confirm their involvement.
Morgan and Johnny were never seen again, while Rogue has repeatedly denied her participation. Under pressure from the Japanese government, Arasaka finally conceded defeat at the end of 2023. Following the war, riot and rebellion burned in every corner of the globe, South America was still in political turmoil and countries in Europe and Asia attempted to revive global trade by regulating the surviving corporations in order to re-establish government control after years of hegemony.
In the United States, President Elizabeth Kress declared martial law in the parts of the country that remained under executive control. Arasaka was consequently held responsible for the detonation of the nuke that had destroyed the centre of Night City, but rumours persisted that the Militech corporation had funded the mysterious strike team and supplied them with the portable nuclear device.
Society demanded an explanation, and President Kress exploited that sentiment to keep Militech on a short leash. Militech’s assets were nationalized by the US government and used to strengthen federal rule. During this period, the Nomads became the lifeblood of the tech trade, scrounging through battlefields and abandoned facilities, and smuggling restricted goods in their heavily armed convoys.
President Kress showed little interest in helping the devasted Night City recover. In fact, allowing the crippled city to struggle was the perfect way to bring the Free State of Northern California to heel. Nevertheless, the stubborn residents of Night City refused to concede and the arduous process of rebuilding began.
