[Sendaz]

If you look back in the original post Wak mentions how in the Boston Lockdown Video game it was implied that one of the Megas was going down as a result of the fallout, though I gathered from the text I saw it was more about the runners vowing vengeance, but that could be one step along the way since this is just Chapter 1.
I have not played that one so can not confirm, but there was a thread here on a walkthrough of the game and the ending of chapter 1.

We could be wrong , but it sounds like the Powers That Be may be taking player feedback from the game, maybe based on player actions (again have not played so don't know how much decisions you get) which may well decide which Corp takes the fall for this.

So maybe as the chapters progress if a majority the players from Lockdown happen to have ganged up on Renraku at the end, making all the evidence point the finger at them while thinking about J Edgar Hoover, J. Edgar Hoover will show up and destroy Renraku.

Again, this is just speculation until Wak drops some more tidbits.

[witchdoctor]

Again I ask, by what means is that decision being made? Someone made this assertion that one of the AAA corps was going down but I don't know the source.  Is it a rumor or was it stated in so many words that one of the AAA corps would fall?  Citation needed.

Also keep in mind that this thread was also started in good fun, let's not take the statements made in this thread too seriously. I for one am willing to take the statements made here at face value as part of a fun little thought experiment and game of what if.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Again I ask, by what means is that decision being made? Someone made this assertion that one of the AAA corps was going down but I don't know the source.  Is it a rumor or was it stated in so many words that one of the AAA corps would fall?  Citation needed.

... that's so unlike you!!  I'm so proud of you right now. *sniff*

However, as Sendaz says, it was part of the SR:Chronicles and Lockdown stuff, along with the entire 'things that happen during SR:C will affect the main game' - heavily implied, at the very least.

[Wakshaani]

Yeah, it's official, but I don't know where as I'm not on that team at all and haven't had anything to do with it other than work out trap doors once I heard about it. The Kickstarte rmaybe? Let's look!

And the best part is: In Shadowrun Online the collective actions of players will not only determine the fate of the online game world, but our unique player-driven plotline will enable you to determine the future of the whole Shadowrun Universe! Events players trigger will also cross over into the pen and paper storyline - so you can shape the future of the Shadowrun Universe!

Hrm. That tells us that *something* will happen but not *what*.

Man.

I need to figure out where that stuff was promoted. Hrm!

[CitizenJoe]

Yea, I saw the crossover stuff but not anything mentioning a AAA going down. I figured that what they meant was the whole CFD thing.  Your actions will dictate if CFD gets out into the wild or if it is held to a single city.

[Beta]

In the Lockdown book, if you follow the script the player characters will uncover  very sensitive info, and will have a number of choices on what to do with it.  The book asks people to submit which choice their group made.  It does say that feedback (computer game and P&P) will determine what happens.  But there is no promise of a AAA going down--although some of the choices could certainly be extremely damaging to one corp or another.

[Mr. Grey]

I somehow don't think NeoNET is going down. With the runs to find a new home, I think they'll move or join Johnny.

Aztechnology might really be up to their necks in this one. They've got enough enemies and plenty dirt on their hands on this one to be a good target. I would peg them as my first choice.

Ares might also bight the bullet. They got enough trouble that one more pointed at them wouldn't be a big loss in the other corporation's eyes.

EVO might doom themselves but I don't think it will be this time.

S-K I don't think is going to lose it's AAA but it might slip from #1 finally.

Besides AZT, I think the other one might be Renraku. Think about it, they released the first big baddie and Deus might be back. I can see them getting the knife in the back on this one.

[Moonshine Fox]

NeoNET seems the obvious choice (especially since they hold a large portion of guilt in the buildup to the lockdown), but it seems a little too obvious. They're going to be fighting to recover from losing their HQ and head RnD guy (along with the Great Dragons wanting to know what happened with their Loremaster) and should easily be able to spin themselves as a victim.

Renraku on the other hand has been rather famously involved in another lockdown while dealing with a rouge AI that they tried their damnedest to keep secret from the world so they could continue to abuse and benefit from him. I'd guess a lot of people would be willing to lay blame at their feet and turn public opinion aginst them.

[Lorebane24]

I'm hoping it will NeoNet.  I think it would make sense from an in-game perspective, with them being the driving force behind CFD and them losing their home base.  Yes, they're a megacrop and they're used to spinning shit, but the deck seems really stacked against them on this one, and it would take a monumental feat of PR maneuvering to not go down in flames.

On top of that, NeoNet, to me at least, seems to lack a lot of the flavor of the other megas.  It may just be because I'm not as familiar with the lore as many of the other people on these forums, but I've never looked at NeoNet and thought "Man, I really want to involve them in my game," and they're probably the only one of the Big Ten that I've never felt that way about.  I'm hoping we can get a AA with a more interesting niche than "Internet" to step up and fill the ranks.

[Beta]

So long as Neo-Net controls JRJ, are they not guaranteed a spot on the Corporate Court, and hence AAA status?  So I’d think that the only way for them to go down was to be so damaged that JRJ moved to another company. 

Of course, the controlling interest is Mr. Villiers, and he’s done some pretty crazy corporate manoeuvres previously, so it wouldn’t totally shock me to see Neo-Net as a AAA disappear, but for Villiers to take JRJ and bring it into some other company.  However that would seem likely to effectively be cutting Celedyr lose to take the fall, which seems like it might be … unwise. 

There are some indirect consequences of the lockdown which could hit a couple of corps, which could keep things interesting.  Evo is the company associated with weird evolution of meta-humanity stuff, and in the popular imagination CFD could come to be associated with those sorts of dangerous experiments, which could really poison the well for them.  Then again, one of the corps (I forget which one) has an insurance division which provides a of lot of insurance in the Boston area, which could get destroyed by the post-lockdown claims, which could hurt the parent not just financially but reputation-wise too.  Either of them could end up suffering, even if they didn’t really do anything particularly wrong (by AAA standards, of course—I’m sure they’ve done plenty wrong by most other standards)

[Sendaz]

So long as Neo-Net controls JRJ, are they not guaranteed a spot on the Corporate Court, and hence AAA status?  So I’d think that the only way for them to go down was to be so damaged that JRJ moved to another company. 

But if the CC finds NeoNet responsible for the Lockdown and imposes such ruinous fines and penalties on it, it would effectively cripple the company which could in turn force a change of hands if the assets have to be sold off to pay for it all.

Of course, the controlling interest is Mr. Villiers, and he’s done some pretty crazy corporate manoeuvres previously, so it wouldn’t totally shock me to see Neo-Net as a AAA disappear, but for Villiers to take JRJ and bring it into some other company.  However that would seem likely to effectively be cutting Celedyr lose to take the fall, which seems like it might be … unwise. 

Depends on how involved Villiers was with Celedyr's planning revolving around the whole mess.
Back when he was with Fuchi, it was basically three factions within the company and there were often operations going on that some of the other factions were not made fully aware of (see also Technobabel)
 Or even if he was involved, he could now distance himself from Crazy Dragon to let that part of the company sink, though as you pointed out, not great for one's health potentially, but might be his only option if all fingers point back to Neo-Net.

Edit: But yeah, I bet Renraku is going through their own departments just making sure there is nothing leading back to them since they could easily be scapegoated for this.

[Wakshaani]

Here's one for you.

"Today, Richard Villers has taken a ride up to the Zurich Orbital in person. It seems that he has evidence to present to the court about the corporation who attacked Boston and devastated NeoNET finances. Corporate watchers are assuming that he'll be asking for a transfer of assets from the corporation equal to what he has lost and, in addition, will ask for a proper level of punitive damages to be applied as well. Could we be watching the first steps of a true Omega Order? We'll be covering this around the clock for the next 72 hours!"

[biotech66]

As long as Aries is fine, I'm happy.  All the people in MI, including myself, need a win....

[Mr. Grey]

Here's one for you.

"Today, Richard Villers has taken a ride up to the Zurich Orbital in person. It seems that he has evidence to present to the court about the corporation who attacked Boston and devastated NeoNET finances. Corporate watchers are assuming that he'll be asking for a transfer of assets from the corporation equal to what he has lost and, in addition, will ask for a proper level of punitive damages to be applied as well. Could we be watching the first steps of a true Omega Order? We'll be covering this around the clock for the next 72 hours!"

Don't have Storm Front near me right now. But didn't it say the Villers might be infected? Maybe he's going to deliver something more than just evidence

[Deadborder]

To me, the logical answers are NEOnet, EVO and Aztechnology in roughly that order of most to least likely. All three of them are tied up in the Boston disaster and are as guilty as all get out, but it's a question of who they can realistically pin the blame on and how much evidence exists. NN and EVO are probably the most damned by that, with the Big A possibly able to claim a "we had no idea just what was going on" angle. On the other hand, the Big A is also about as popular as a dose of the Clap, especially with other members of the Corporate Court.

Personally, I'd prefer to see one of the three Japanocorps go down. The three of them have long suffered from being too samey and a bit of a block, and definitely more then a bit legacy eighties future. They're not as bad as they used to be (I mean, there used to be five of the,m...) but at the same time, you could kill one of them and have the other two actually become more interesting and distinct for it.

if it were up to me, I'd pick MCT as they tend to have a "Well, they're there... and don't do much..." thing going.