Regardless of the opinions one may have about CD Projekt Red's behavior when it came to Cyberpunk 2077's launch, there's no denying the fact that the game is still a brilliant, story-rich narrative that will keep fans hooked all the way up to the very end. This was only a given, especially since Cyberpunk 2077's roots were set within the rich lore that was already established within the universe of Cyberpunk 2020.
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In fact, the world of Cyberpunk 2077 is so rich, detailed, and varied that players will have their hands full just uncovering the mysteries of this amazing setting. Keeping this in mind, here are ten things about the world of Cyberpunk 2077 that most fans had absolutely no clue about.
10 Real City Planners Were Hired To Help Map Out Night City
Night City is easily one of the most realistic and vibrant environments ever made for a video game and is undoubtedly one of the biggest achievements of the title. It was clear from the beginning that CD Projekt Red put in a ton of effort to ensure this locale was as realistic as possible.
In fact, they even went so far as to hiring real city planners to ensure that no corners were cut when it came to the development of one of the most lived-in cities ever made for a video game. It's a nice little touch that definitely reflects in the end product.
9 There Are Many Inspirations Behind The Name "Night City"
The name Night City itself has a ton of backstory behind it as well. For starters, the name is inspired by the works of William Gibson, whose 1984 novel Neuromancer ended up coining the terms Cyberpunk and Cyberspace in the first place. Night City is a name that appears in numerous novels of his and is clearly a major inspiration for CD Projekt Red naming their city the same as well.
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Night City also happened to be the name of a Computer BBS (Bulletin Board System) that operated in Queensland, Australia from the late 80s to the early 90s, before the availability of the internet basically made it obsolete.
8 Akira, Ghost In The Shell, And Blade Runner Served As Huge Inspirations
Of course, no futuristic game would be complete without a few other inspirations of its own from other entertainment media, and Cyberpunk 2077 is obviously no exception to this.
The world of Night City is definitely heavily inspired by the architecture of Blade Runner, with various facets of the world also inspired by Akira and Ghost in the Shell as well. In fact, one can actually find the Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X in the game, which is a direct reference to the famous bike in Akira.
7 The New United States And The Free States Might Go To War Soon
With the fractured nature of the nations and their relationships in Cyberpunk 2077, it wouldn't be a surprise to know that two of the biggest countries in the world will inevitably go to war pretty soon. This information is gleaned from a report in 2080 by AI analytics software, which predicts with 74% surety that the New United States and the Free States will inevitably lock horns with each other in the near future.
The world of Cyberpunk is one full of strife, so it's only a given that such conflicts would also be a reality in this grim universe.
6 A High-Speed Railway Network Will Connect All The Cities Of The New United States
NightCorp is one of the most prominent organizations in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, and their plans to construct an intercontinental railway will be in full swing in 2078, a year after the events of the game.
This high-speed railway network will be constructed at a blistering pace, with the cities of Night City and Chicago being connected come the winter itself. The country isn't quite as well put together as it is in our world, so a train system connecting all cities isn't as big of a feat as it would be now.
5 Night City Has Lost Almost 30% Of Its Population Due To An Unspecified Event
One of the oddest things about the history of Night City is that almost 30% of its population was eradicated in 2076 without any reasons given as to why this even happened.
This is certainly rather odd, after all, the mere fact that no one bats an eye over such a major event in a populated city is surely somewhat suspicious. Given the fact that this 30% accounts for nearly 3 million people, there must be some sort of information that is being hidden from the public.
4 The World Will Soon Have A 3D Printer That Forms Objects By Reading People's Minds
3D printers are already pretty exciting news as is, but the world of Cyberpunk 2077 has managed to step things up a notch even further, as one would expect from a future dominated by corporations and technology.
This can be seen in the fact that a 3D printer will soon roll out in this world that can scan people's minds and recreate any object they're thinking of. It's an application of technology that is incredibly fascinating and something to look forward to in a potential sequel.
3 Antarctica Had Its First-Ever Human Settlement Created In 2067
For the longest time, Antarctica has been considered to be a location where the existence of human life is pretty much impossible. However, Cyberpunk 2077 has managed to get over this hurdle too.
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In this world, the first-ever human settlement was created in Antarctica in 2067, which is quite a neat little tidbit that fleshes out the world even more. Of course, the idea of actually staying in Antarctica itself is something that most people might find befuddling, but given the eccentric nature of most people in this universe, one has to assume that there are bound to be some takers.
2 Sharks Are Extinct In The World Of Cyberpunk 2077
The terror of the deeps, otherwise known as the shark, is extinct. However, as is the case with any society that ends up exploiting the resources available to them without giving any thought to sustainability, there are several problems with the flora and fauna of Cyberpunk 2077's world.
The mere fact that sharks became extinct in 2067 is proof enough of just how messed up the ecosystem of this world really is, and it is a grim reminder that allowing corporates to expand without any boundaries is bound to have severe repercussions for the world, whether imaginary or otherwise.
1 Bird Flu Is A Pretty Major Issue In Night City
For a futuristic place like Night City, it's actually somewhat surprising to see that some of the more grounded problems that happen in real life tend to affect this city as well. Night City has been affected by a bird flu epidemic three times, with the latest one happening in 2016 that wiped out around 12,000 people.
There's a delicious slice of irony to be enjoyed in the fact that even a futuristic world that is governed by technological advancements isn't immune to such banal plagues.
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