The following corporations make up the “Big Nine,” holding the most political power in the city:
Artificial Living Solutions (ALS)[]
Makers of mass-market customizable templates for avatars, holographic projections, AR themes, programmable clothing and VRs. ALS avatars aren’t the greatest quality designs you’ve ever seen, but they are the cheapest. The ALS HQ is a nondescript building in the Nulan projects.
ALLIES: MolRec
PARTNERS: ALS, GAUU, PG&J, Safeguard
Crabb Protection Services[]
Crabb provides both physical and digital security for the rich and powerful. Their headquarters are located in the CBD but they also possess offices in Sterlwynn Meadows and Whitehill. Ever since Matthew Kane stepped down to participate in city politics, Crabb has been run by Patere Howards, a decorated soldier and ex-CivSec officer who is rumored to be associated with various crime syndicates around town.
Cycloco[]
New recycling technology company, winners of the contract for oversight of the Hadid Industrial Sector.
Global Nation Products[]
The principal provider of cheap manufactured commercial goods for the entire world, the GNP megacorp includes thousands of semi-autonomous megastore chains and online retailers, vast drone-based delivery stockhouses and secured shopping districts of all sizes and socio-economic strata. Outside of illicit black markets, practically everyone buys everything from GNP. Their fastest-growing division is In-Out ("The Interactive Outlet"); a biophone-based interactive “best friend” and shopping app with one-day drone-based delivery available in every major city on Earth. In-Out servers are linked via global satellite networks to the automated systems of all GNP’s associated retail outlets and stockhouses. Their advertising slogan is "You Need What We Have."
NOTE: Every legally manufactured and publicly sold consumer product on Earth is available through GNP. Their bright orange drones are seen in every major city, flitting constantly about the skyline carrying high-impact plastic delivery parcels emblazoned with the GNP logo (which resembles a smiley face eating the world). Their commercial ads – broadcast in public spaces by a dedicated fleet of teledrones – are literally impossible to avoid.
Intelligence Services (IS)[]
Intelligence extraction and analysis firm with deep ties to the city.
IS Director Dea Fitzharn is the klatch-raised offspring of CivSec Director Parnas Harn.
MegaMedia[]
The dominant provider of news and entertainment programming for the first world. MegaMedia is a veritable monopoly, with controlling interest in the production and distribution of over 80% of the western world's microfreq, cable, satellite and interactive network programming and advertising, having dominated the market by bundling their premium access channels with the world's most popular operating system - which they also own. MegaMedia trades campaign financing for control of media law, and is the only conglomerate in the world large enough to run the global public assurance media campaigns required by modern corporations and political figures. The megacorp controls tens of thousands of production studios and tightly-licensed media distributors, who receive content and direction from the corporate center in New New York. Through one of their many “indie” studio divisions, they have relations with over half of the independent media production industry – those that are monetized, that is. Their advertising slogan is "Better Watch It."
NOTE: If the PCs are ever approached by a producer, actor or news personality, chances are that person will be from a subsidiary studio belonging to MegaMedia. Net celebs don’t “sell out” to MegaMedia – they buy in.
MolRec[]
"The molecular reconstruction experts." Using state-of-the-art molecular recomb technology, MolRec takes heavy waste – medical, industrial, toxic, even radioactive – and breaks it down into useful organic and synthetic materials. From their HQ in Kaishi, the company operates a fleet of acquisition drones that patrol the neighboring districts of Cerillis and Bosing, and a fleet of automated collection trucks providing regular disposal service for manufacturers and mineral harvester clients throughout the city.
"At MolRec, we harness the radiation released during our recycling process and feed it back to the grid," their commercials tell us: "Even our waste doesn't go to waste!" Speaking of waste, their mascot is a an anthropomorphized MolRat named Morty, who eats his own.
Nutrex Biological and Pharmaceutical[]
A massively diversified holding, NBP owns real estate and corporate housing projects in the Midoru, Paradi and Nulan districts. The company also operates a massive algae farm annexed to the Nepenthe Aquology roughly a hundred miles offshore. This algae is harvested for use in biofuel, food production, protein synthesis, drug manufacturing and synthetic raw materials used to mass-produce inexpensive but environmentally-friendly products. The NBP HQ takes up several floors in a tower downtown.
Under their patented trademarks, NBP sells such popular algae-derived products as: NutriNoodles, Nori Noodles, NutriMilk, Nutrex DulseCheese, NutriCrisps, NutriBread, Nutrex MozukuCakes, NutriSnax, Nori Biscuits, the entire range of NutriProduce (synthesized agar that resembles real fruit and vegetables for those too poor to afford real stuff, but rich enough to pretend they do. Similar to nutmeat products that try to resemble real meat today.), as well as NutriMeat (KelpSteak and AgarBurgers and the ever affordable NutriSpam). NBP has recently branched out into alcoholic beverages with a range of NutriWines (N-Red, N-White, N-Pink, N-Mauve and, the latest and best selling, N-Black wine).
Wolfram Medical Associates[]
WMA has specialized for over a century in both private and crowdsourced medical research into organic and cellular reconstruction, cybernetics & nanotech. Among many other products and services, they provide genetic modification - from utero to adulthood - for wealthy citizens and many of the city's corporate klatches.