📅 The Metal Wars (2000-2020)
“Chrome and blood. That’s what this decade was made of.”
Two decades of corporate warfare, technological revolution, and the rise of the Edgerunner class. This era saw the First through Third Corporate Wars, the golden age of cyberware, and the emergence of legends.
📆 Year by Year
2000-2004
- First Corporate War begins between Eurobank Alliance and Transworld Airlines
- Night City becomes a major corporate battleground
- First generation cyberlimbs become affordable
- NET expands rapidly; Netrunners become essential
2005-2008
- First Corporate War ends with TWA’s destruction
- Economic recovery begins in parts of Europe and Asia
- Cyberpsychosis first documented as a clinical condition
- MAX-TAC units formed to deal with cyberpsychos
2009-2010
- Militech and Arasaka proxy conflicts in South America
- Rise of the Booster gangs
- Combat Zone expansion in major cities
- First designer drugs hit the street
2011-2015
- Second Corporate War erupts between SovOil and Petrochem
- Ocean Wars begin over aquatic resources
- Orbital colonies established
- Crystal Palace space station completed
2016-2017
- Second Corporate War concludes
- Johnny Silverhand begins his rise to fame
- Nuclear incident at Pittsburgh facility
- Biotechnica unveils agricultural breakthroughs
2018-2019
- Tensions escalate between Arasaka and Militech
- Corporate espionage reaches all-time high
- NET infrastructure becomes critical to world economy
- Netwatch formed to police the NET
2020
- Fourth Corporate War begins
- Johnny Silverhand leads the assault on Arasaka Tower
- Rache Bartmoss releases the R.A.B.I.D.S.
- The DataKrash destroys the global NET
- Night City Holocaust - nuclear detonation destroys Arasaka Tower
🔥 Key Events
The Corporate Wars (2000-2020)
A series of escalating conflicts that transformed corporations from mere businesses into true military powers:
- First Corporate War (2000-2004): Eurobank vs TWA
- Second Corporate War (2011-2015): SovOil vs Petrochem
- Third Corporate War (Multiple skirmishes between major corps)
- Fourth Corporate War (2020): Arasaka vs Militech
Placeholder: Corporate War battle scene (pg. 248)
The Rise of Legends
This era produced the legendary figures who defined the Edgerunner ethos:
- Johnny Silverhand: Rocker, revolutionary, ultimately martyred in the Arasaka Tower assault
- Morgan Blackhand: The greatest Solo of his generation
- Rache Bartmoss: The greatest Netrunner ever, creator of the R.A.B.I.D.S.
- Alt Cunningham: Netrunner legend, creator of Soulkiller
Technology Revolution
| Innovation | Year | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Affordable Cyberlimbs | 2000 | Cyberware goes mainstream |
| Full-Body Conversions | 2008 | First cyborgs created |
| Braindance Tech | 2010 | Virtual reality for masses |
| Crystal Palace | 2014 | Permanent orbital presence |
| Soulkiller | 2013 | AI consciousness capture |
🏢 Corporate Power at Peak
By 2020, megacorporations wielded power exceeding most nations:
- Arasaka: Global security, banking, manufacturing
- Militech: American military power privatized
- Petrochem: Energy monopoly
- SovOil: Russian energy giant
- Biotechnica: Agricultural and medical monopoly
- Orbital Air: Space transportation
- Zetatech: Advanced cybernetics
🌆 Night City in 2020
Night City reached its peak as the ultimate corporate city:
- Corporate Center dominated by Arasaka and other mega towers
- Combat Zones expanding through lower city
- Legendary clubs like the Afterlife and Rainbow Cadenza
- Home base for the most famous Edgerunners
💀 The End: 2020
The decade ended in catastrophe:
- Fourth Corporate War devastates Night City
- DataKrash destroys the global NET
- Arasaka Tower Bombing kills thousands
- Red Sky - nuclear fallout clouds the world
Johnny Silverhand
“Never fade away…”
🔗 Related Topics
- Previous: Timeline 1990-2000
- Next: The Fourth Corporate War
- The DataKrash
- Johnny Silverhand
- Morgan Blackhand
(Source: Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook, pgs. 245-262)