[Redman]

So I own Market Panic but can't find anything about the new AAA that had been rumored?

And it does not seem as if anything of the existing ones have killed off?

What the what? Have I been chaught in a hypestorm?

[Wakshaani]

That trigger's not been pulled yet. At least one is in the process of going down, but you might not see it until it happens.

As for who moves up? Keep watching the skies.

[Redman]

Hate the disappointment, but you throw good bait.

[Nightmare]

I say Spin will be the new Triple A...though Zeta-ImpChem or Maersk would be more fun to see..

[Wakshaani]

Hate the disappointment, but you throw good bait.

Sorry amigo. I like the job too much to break an NDA. But when I *can* say more, I will!

[Nightmare]

Hate the disappointment, but you throw good bait.

Sorry amigo. I like the job too much to break an NDA. But when I *can* say more, I will!

Well..if that's the case....will we be seeing some breakdowns on the AA corps? Like those that appeared in the *Corporate Guide*....

[Wakshaani]

They were scheduled to be in Market Panic, but it ran long, so the content was moved.

"To where?"

That, I can't tell you. *points to NDA*

But that stuff exists. And you should be seeing it in a Future Product. When I can say more, I will!

[Nightmare]

Good enough for me. Thanks.

[Lorebane24]

After reading through Market Panic, my money would be on NeoNet dropping from the Court.  Evo is certainly taking a lashing, but the way they're written makes it sound like the devs have rough times planned for them in the same vein as Renraku after the SCIRE incident.  More than that though, I think it would make sense from a world-building standpoint.  I think they really bring something to the table (from an out-of-character standpoint) that other corps don't with their transhumanist angle, and it wouldn't make sense for Catalyst to scrap that as a prominent element in the the world.

NeoNet, on the other hand, is looking at indications that both Celedyr AND Richard Villiers may be jumping ship, though?  If those both pan out, it seems like NeoNet would be hard pressed to recover.  I'd imagine them breaking up into their old parts with Spinrad Industries scoring Villier's golden ticket and making that jump up to AAA.  Similarly, even though each of the AAAs is fairly diverse, it makes sense for them to have one or two really identifiable niches to make understanding them approachable to players new to the settings.  It's simplifying things, sure, but as far as a lot of people are concerned, Ares is the gun corp, Evo is the augmentation corp and meta-friendly corp, Horizon is the PR corp, Aztechnology has consumer products and blood magic, and Mitsuhama are the dudes with the Yakuza thing.  NeoNet doesn't really stand out in the way that most other AAAs do in that regard.  Is there really a need, from a world-building perspective, for a matrix corp when we also have a software corp (Renraku) and a computer corp (MCT)?  It would make more sense to me to drop them and put a major medical or chemical player into the top ranks.

Alternatively, would it be possible for Spinrad to remain an AA but gain a seat on the court, while one of these massive new conglomerates from Bloody Business becoming an unrepresented AAA?  Or maybe seeing the number of AAAs changing once again?  It was once simply the Big Eight, remember, and there are thirteen seats on the Corporate Court.

[PiXeL01]

Well, Fuchi/Novatech/NEoNet has one thing going for it, which is never last more than a decade before getting chummed on. Makes me feel kind of sad for Villiers really.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Fuchi was born in 2017, and gained AAA status in 2024 - after which it lasted considerably more than a decade, imploding only in 2060.  However, Fuchi, Novatech, and NeoNET all had the same thing going for them: possession of that wonderful can't-be-disenfranchised portion of the Corporate Court, JRJ International - the NeoNET section calls JRJ a 'Golden Ticket', which is fair enough, and that several people might be wanting to get their hands on it - which, again, is fair enough.

[Nightmare]

I really am not buying NeoNET going down..sure they are hurting badly but something about how they are going about things says they will stick around.  I mean, the fact they are building their new HQ in St Louis screams future development of St Louis as a Free City, plys Malmstein is running around increasing the amount of exposure Erika has in Africa.  I really think that what's going to happen is Celeydr will be kicked to the curb and Spinrad comes in to save the place.  Course I could very well be wrong.

As for who I really would love to see fall....EVO!  They've already screwed up royally with the fake CC judge program plus it's looking more and more like they are the true culprits behind CFD.  There's a  huge bullseye on them that is just waiting to be struck.

[Beta]

I really am not buying NeoNET going down..sure they are hurting badly but something about how they are going about things says they will stick around.  I mean, the fact they are building their new HQ in St Louis screams future development of St Louis as a Free City, plys Malmstein is running around increasing the amount of exposure Erika has in Africa.  I really think that what's going to happen is Celeydr will be kicked to the curb and Spinrad comes in to save the place.  Course I could very well be wrong.

As for who I really would love to see fall....EVO!  They've already screwed up royally with the fake CC judge program plus it's looking more and more like they are the true culprits behind CFD.  There's a  huge bullseye on them that is just waiting to be struck.

The way I see things with NeoNet is sort of a three or four-player version of prisoner’s dilemma.  If the principles all stick with the company, it is probably the best result for them overall as the company should survive.  However if the company is going to go down, there is huge advantage to being the first to jump – you are negotiating from a position of relative strength, compared to where you’d be after things start to fall apart.

So, do they trust each other enough to all stick it out?  Or will one of them decide to lower their downside by making a pre-emptive move, in which case the whole thing is screwed.

Hmmm, and if any of their competition sees things the same way, they may well be sponsoring runs to breed distrust, to increase the chances of things falling apart.

[Mirikon]

Beta is correct. Especially since NeoNET is far from united at the best of times. The different factions actively work against eachother as much as they do rival corps. While not to the level of cold war Fuchi was, or the outright assassination attempts in Ares, they are still quite the fractious bunch. Counting on them to hold the line together, especially if someone else makes a better offer individually, makes a split more likely. That said, of the three candidates for getting blasted (NeoNET, EVO, and Aztechnology), EVO is in the worst position, since they don't have an 'original seat' like the other two, they are positively infested with head cases, and their recent shenanigans with the Corporate Court have likely tainted most of the justices against them. NeoNET is clearly the one most responsible for the mess, but whether they'll actually take the blame is another story entirely.

[Moonshine Fox]

It's going to be weird to have another AAA fall. Hell, part of me still has a hard time believing Fuchi is gone considering how ingrained they were in the plot line, and a bit to running gags at our table.

Mirikon has a good point though, EVO is still relatively new compared to the other two (I count NeoNET as a simple rename/restructure of Novatech/Fuchi) and in the overall weakest position. NeoNET may be shaky, both inside and out, but there's a lot of power backing it up that can prop it up till it gets back to business as normal. Aztech I simply can't see falling. With their size, power base, and the extent they'll go to maintain power, I just can't see it (even if I'd like too). Though if they did, that would make for one hell of an interesting time in middle and south America, and may let loose some of darker things that groups in the corp keep playing with.

I wonder who'd get Stuffer Shack though. *ponders*