Cyberpunk 2077: Night City, scene of CD Projekt's mega-role-playing game. Open World, big-city, a place with history and stories.
Night City is not only an extremely important setting in the game, the fictional city also has a long pop culture history in the real world. It comes from the Pen&Paper template Cyberpunk 2013 and 2020, has therefore existed in the minds of roleplaying fans for over 30 years.
Reason enough, to use the time until the release of Cyberpunk 2077 to compile all the important facts about Night City. Because as spectacular as Night City in Cyberpunk 2020 may be, us gamers are of course interested in what game world will await us in 2077. And there is already a lot to be said about the world. This information is not only provided by the Pen&Paper template, but also from CD Projekt itself.
Where is Night City?
According to the story universe, the city is located between San Francisco and Los Angeles, on the US west coast in the so-called Coronado Bay. That's why it was originally called Coronado City - the name change is associated with tragic events.
The small town was originally founded in the early 1990s by Richard Night, an entrepreneur who wanted to realize building an ideal city. A golden harbour in stormy times, in which people can live together happily, contentedly and successfully.
Because such a city foundation cannot be paid for by pocket money alone, Night falls back on the support of large corporations that are willingly participating as the national governments are gradually collapsing in the rest of the cyberpunk world.
While the construction work started in 1993, 1994 is considered its official foundation date. Unfortunately, in 1998 Richard Night is shot by an unknown perpetrator. This is where the journey of Coronado City, which is now called Night City in memory of its founder, beings.
A city in between big corporations and gangsters
During 1998 and 2077, Night City underwent quite a turbulent change. After the final collapse of national governments, the city is dominated by numerous megacorporations on the sunny side, while various gangs of criminals are flourishing in the shadows.
Among the influential companies is Trauma Team International, a pharmaceutical company that also offers customers mobile intervention forces to ensure their safety. That these squads do not only carry syringes in the luggage, could already be experienced during the gameplay demo of Cyberpunk 2077.
The world of Cyberpunk 2077 is marked by organizations that want to take control of people - and characters like Main Character V, are fighting even harder to gain their place in the world.
The playable quarters of Night City
The Night City of Cyberpunk 2077 will feature six large districts that you will be travelling through. These are:
The City Center
The central point of Night City. Filled with megacorporations, luxury apartments, splendour and glamour.
Watson
This is where numerous Asian cultures meet, forming gigantic markets that flourish in the remnants of a failed mega concern.
Heywood
V's residential area. The gigantic residential complexes of suburban Heywood are home to the Latino population of Night City in particular.
Santo Domingo
The industrial district of the city. Instead of residential complexes and industrial estates, you will find steel-hard industrial factories in a sea of machines here. Santo Domingo also regulates urban energy supply.
Pacifica
Pacifica is the most dangerous area of Night City. A gang crime blast furnace. Black markets flourish in the midst of murder and manslaughter.
Westbrook
According to the CD Projekt, Westbrook is a quarter where rich people work hard but play just as hard.
In the game, you can travel the Open World either on foot, by car or by motorbike. Flying vehicles are also available, but you cannot steer them yourself. The entire game world is meant to be accessible without loading breaks - so we expect a coherent Open World.
Verticality generally plays a major role in the open-world design of CD Projekt: V's residential building complex alone should offer countless floors that can be explored.
In a nutshell, Night City should offer a very dark, violent foundation for Cyberpunk 2077. To make sure the game lives up to its name, the developers have naturally stirred various other cyberpunk elements into the pot. These include cyber implants, punk fashion and many, many more.
