Watson
In 2077, Watson is seen as a sad and desperate place. It is well known as one of Night City's poorest districts, with many industrial factories and plants being completely abandoned. Watson is also the battleground in the war between Maelstrom and Tyger Claws gangs. The former reigns over the Northside Industrial District (NID), which is filled with factories (most of which are abandoned) and working-class apartment blocks. The well-known Totentanz bar is also located here.
Tyger Claws operate from Little China and Kabuki. The former is a high density urban region with skyscrapers, and overpopulated with Asian immigrants. It was once the best place in all of Night City to legally spend some money on body enhancements, but has since been overrun by the Kabuki marketplaces. The old Med Center is located in this area, and so is the notorious Afterlife.
Kabuki is a maze of narrow alleyways located right next to Little China. At night, they turn into a bazaar for implants, organs, steroids, and much more. It is said anything a person could desire can be found in the Kabuki Roundabout. This makes Watson a prime target for Scavs, a ruthless group that kidnaps and harvests peoples' organs and implants for resale on the black market.
The rest of Watson belongs to Arasaka in an area known as the Arasaka Waterfront. This place is completely off-limits to anyone who isn't an employee of the corporation. The NCPD cautions everyone that decides to visit the Watson sub-districts to be very careful
History
Watson’s history is marked by ambition, transformation, and decline. During the Fourth Corporate War, much of its original population fled, leaving behind empty streets that became a refuge for displaced communities from the south of Night City. Japanese corporations, under the Night City Co-Prosperity Sphere (NCCS), supported the relocation of people from devastated districts like Japantown and Little China. In the years that followed, the NCCS heavily invested in revitalizing the district, giving rise to what became known as the Watson Development.
Watson quickly rose in prominence. With financial backing from the NCCS, it became a thriving part of Night City, filled with modern infrastructure, residential megabuildings, nightclubs, markets, and a robust medical and industrial sector in the north called the NID. Kabuki emerged as a central neighborhood, largely populated by displaced Japanese citizens, while Little China to the south grew rapidly with the arrival of immigrants from across Asia. At its peak, Watson was poised to be the beating heart of the city, seen as a potential second downtown.
However, by the 2050s, with the success of efforts to restore the true downtown districts further south, Watson’s significance began to wane. The district transitioned from a core hub to more of a periphery. This change accelerated in the 2060s as other areas like Westbrook and City Center became the new centers of power and wealth. Affluent residents began to leave Watson behind for these fresher, shinier locales.
Watson’s fate was sealed following the Unification War. In 2070, the Arasaka Corporation returned to Night City, seeking control over a major port. They targeted Watson’s waterfront, clashing with the NCCS who still maintained influence in the district. Ultimately, Arasaka outmaneuvered the NCCS financially, causing the conglomerate to collapse. With the NCCS gone, local corporations failed and the district entered economic freefall. Arasaka filled the resulting power vacuum and finally secured access to the port they had long desired.
Even amid decline, Watson adapted. The area saw an influx of underprivileged and enterprising newcomers who gave the district a new, if chaotic, vitality. The Japanese population that once made up Kabuki largely relocated to Japantown, while the Chinese community grew stronger in Little China. Kabuki became known for its vibrant and illicit black market scene, centered around the notorious Kabuki Roundabout. Little China, though densely populated, earned fame for its rich blend of cultures and cuisine. The NID, however, never recovered and became a neglected industrial zone, only partially operational and riddled with crime.
By the 2070s, Watson had become one of Night City's poorest and most dangerous districts. Gangs such as Maelstrom held sway in parts of the area, especially around the infamous Totentanz club, while the Tyger Claws maintained a strong presence in the south. Despite this, Watson remained diverse and alive, albeit chaotic. In an odd twist, a large rat infestation led to the use of stray cats as a control measure, giving the district an unexpected feline population.
In 2077, the district made headlines once more when Saburo Arasaka arrived and was assassinated shortly after in the Konpeki Plaza hotel, located on Watson’s western edge. In the wake of this event, the entire district was briefly locked down, underlining Watson’s continuing role as a volatile, unpredictable part of Night City.
Type
District
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