The history of Knight City began in 1993, when entrepreneur and visionary Richard Knight bought this territory and began to actively build it up. Knight City is founded by Richard Knight, president of the industrial giant. He dreamed of creating an ideal city, a monument to progress and technology, in which people would live happily. Knight enlisted the support of mega-corporations to create the perfect city for businessmen: he wanted every transnational company to get its own self-governing district in the city. He did not know that his child would turn into a nest of corruption and violence.
A thriving metropolis attracted attention not only in business circles, but also among criminal authorities. September 20, 1998, Richard Knight was shot by an unknown sniper, after which a fierce confrontation began for the right to control Knight City. The conflict broke out between megacorporations and the so-called Crowd – a large-scale movement of bandits. At first, the Crowd fought so effectively that almost the entire city was under its control, with the exception of the corporate center. But in early 2009, multinational companies struck back with the use of mercenaries, artillery and even aircraft, returning Knight City almost entirely. Since then, the situation in the metropolis has remained more or less stable, except for conflicts between corporations themselves.
Knight City is a free city in the free state of Northern California. Here corporations rule. Geographically, Knight City is located in the United States, but does not obey either state or state laws. While corporations are fighting for power, civilians are trying to survive on the streets, where numerous gangs endlessly fight.
In 2077, Knight City is divided into six districts. The most important is, of course, the urban center: it is here that the headquarters of corporations are located in giant skyscrapers. The lucky ones who have entered the center can easily walk the streets, because private security firms are responsible for the order. The second fairly prosperous area of Knight City is Westbrook, also known as Japantown, where a wealthy elite lives. The rest of the city is stone jungle, where lawlessness reigns. So, poor Asian immigrants now live in the once prosperous Watson area; Latin American cartels are in charge of everything in Haywood; And in the industrial area of Santa Domingo, where the main factories and power plants of the metropolis are located, are full of people who modified their bodies to make a living by killing.
In 2077, people rely on robots in everything: from drones – operators to combat androids and major equipment. Due to the development of robotics, part of the professions has completely disappeared – all the work is done by machines. Automated trash cans and wipers are visible from each window (to those who have it), patrol the streets and are responsible for the production of goods in factories. Some robots are created in the best laboratories, others are harvested from scrap, but they all play a crucial role in everyday life and in the economy. In the store you can buy a robot for every taste: boxers, for example, are offered to buy a mechanical partner for sparring. Most public transport is automated. Trains and buses exchange information and learn from mistakes – no worse than those who ride them.
In 2077, everything became automated – be it industrial production, the widespread distribution of advertising or the replacement of tissues and organs with microchips and steel. Cheap electronic devices and digital services are available even to the poor, but most cannot afford to buy new toys or replace broken equipment. You have to improvise: many from a young age learn to work with retired electronics to repair devices, create weapons and have fun in their free time.
The most important technological achievement in the world of Cyberpunk is the Network. This is a huge database and at the same time a way to communicate. It can be compared with our Internet, however, you can connect to the Web either via a computer or via an implant chip. It allows you to see virtual reality in three-dimensional space and interact with it directly. Separately, it is worth mentioning the “Braindend” – the personal Network of each person. It can be used for entertainment, to watch movies or play games. Since most of the people in Knight City are poor, entertaining branding programs, which allow you to plunge into the memories of popular actors and businessmen, are especially popular.
Knight City is a city of contrasts. Here live people of different professions, destinies and cultures, but everyone will find where to pass the evening. Each bar tries to attract visitors themed interior, atmosphere and, of course, the level of service. Some places in Knight City adhere to retro style and offer visitors to plunge into the atmosphere of the past century with classic billiard tables, but not without technological improvements.
Residents of Knight City have long been accustomed to cybernetic prostheses. They are put to expand their capabilities in everyday life, to gain an advantage in battle or to demonstrate their position. Cyber prostheses have become as much a part of style as tattoos and costume jewelry. The more fashionable the implant is, the higher the status. In 2077, you are worth as much as your cyber-prosthesis – and you are not worth anything if you don’t stand out from the crowd. Thanks to special technology, cybernetic implants can be hidden under artificial skin.
In Knight City, the right to exist must be earned. Most often it has to be taken away from someone else. People unite in gangs with their own rules and hierarchy, so that it would be easier to survive where there has been a street war for many years. Everyone is involved in it in one way or another – from small hooligans to corporate presidents. Here force is the main argument in any dispute.
Despite poverty and crime rates, Knight City residents are in no hurry to leave. The city promises glory to everyone, but does not forgive those who commit blunders. Success determines not wealth, but the ability to file and protect yourself. To become someone, you need to be more than just yourself. To gain immortality, you need to become an ideal.
Firearms in Knight City can buy anyone, and many people buy. Wearing a pistol on a belt or a rifle on your shoulder is a common thing. The risk of catching a bullet during another riot or attack is too great, so some also go in bullet-proof clothes. This world can not be changed, so no one pays attention to what is happening around. Here, every man for himself.
Night-City is the center of world trade, where such megacorporations, like “Arassaka” and “Militech”, conclude the largest deals and open their regional representative offices. “Arassaka” provides security services and imports Japanese goods to the North American continent. This is one of the most dangerous corporations: it not only uses the services of cyberubians and the army of lawyers, but is also suspected of having connections with the yakuza. Militech, in turn, is an arms giant from the east of America, collaborating with police and military departments. Militech manufactures public security systems and supplies weapons for armies, ranging from pistols and pumping armored fighting vehicles.
The design of numerous shops and restaurants of Knight City is influenced by a wide variety of cultures, including Japanese, Chinese, Philippine, and Indian. This can be seen, for example, by signs (Kiroshi Optics, Kabayan Foods, Fuyutsuki Electronics, Masala Studios), maneki neko figures and tengu images.
Paramedics – a group of doctors who have undergone severe military training. Their task is to protect their customers at any cost. Those who have enough money for insurance are implanted in a biochip. As soon as he discovers problems in the body, the paramedics receive a signal and go to the patient, be it day or night, war or party.
Speed - one of the most important topics in Cyberpunk 2077. Those who do not keep up with the rhythm of life, remain on the sidelines, so there is no place for measuredness and peace. This is the unspoken Knight City law: to stop is to sign a sentence for yourself. Things from fashion collections help not only to stand out from the crowd, but also to survive. For example, a worn jacket on the main character allows him to connect to a variety of devices.