The Big
Ten Megacorps
Ares
Macrotechnology
Headquarters:
Ares is sitting pretty after swallowing up a big chunk of
former AAA Cross Applied Technologies following the Crash. Run by wealthy playboy
Damien Knight, the corp has a reputation as a very “American” outfit: gung-ho,
militaristic, patriotic, and individualistic—Mom and apple pie, in other words.
Don’t let that fool you—sure, they’re one of the better megas to work shadow
ops for, but keep your eyes open, because they’re as underhanded as the rest.
Ares specializes in law enforcement (Knight Errant, one of
the two biggest private security corps in the world, is a subsidiary), military
hardware and arms, aerospace (they own what used to be NASA and have five
orbital habitats), entertainment, automotive (the former General Motors is also
part of the Ares family), with smaller divisions in many other areas.
Aztechnology
Headquarters: Tenochtitlán, Aztlan
If you’ve bought any kind of consumer goods recently, chances
are you’ve contributed to Aztechnology’s bottom line. This Aztlan-based
megacorp produces everything from snack foods (60% of the goodies you find at
your local Stuffer Shack come out of their factories) to chemicals to
trideo-game software to military goods and magical supplies. They’ve got their
fingers in more pies than just about any other mega around (including the
strategically important Nicaragua Canal, which took up the slack when
Winternight trashed the Panama Canal), and their public relations campaigns are
second to none. They’ve got a great rep—everywhere except in the shadows, that
is. Too many years of association with nasty things like blood magic and evil
conspiracies have seen to that.
Evo Corporation
Headquarters:
As suggested by its name, Evo is a corporation that looks
to the future. Formerly called Yamatetsu, the Japanese megacorp with its headquarters
in Russia and a free spirit as its largest stockholder has reinvented itself,
focusing its considerable resources on transhumanist projects ranging from
bioware and genetics to cutting-edge nanotech, anti-aging experiments, and other
even more out-there projects designed to take metahumanity to the next stage of
evolution. Aside from being transhumanist, Evo is also transplanetary, as
the first megacorp to successfully set up a base on Mars.
Along with all this, Evo hasn’t forgotten its other pet cause:
“metahuman factors engineering” (designing and producing metahuman-friendly
products), and it still leads the megas in goods and services designed with
orks, trolls, elves, dwarfs, changelings, and other non-human people in mind.
Horizon
Headquarters:
The newest face on the AAA scene, Horizon used the years
following the Crash to take advantage of its close relationships with both Tir
Tairngire and the Pueblo Corporate Council and secure itself a position on the
Horizon specializes in anything that can be used to
manipulate opinion (personal or public), including public relations, advertising,
mimetics, viral marketing, trendsetting, and social networking. Its corporate
culture is much less hierarchical than those of most other megas, emphasizing
consensus, workgroups, trends, and “people-centered” management models.
Employees are well taken care of and encouraged to develop their talents and
pursue their interests on company time—though, of course, Horizon expects to
share in the fruits of their innovation.
In addition to its primary focus on entertainment and media
pursuits, Horizon is also strong in consumer goods and services, real estate
and development, and pharmaceuticals.
Mitsuhama
Computer Technologies
Headquarters:
As its name suggests, Japanacorp Mitsuhama Computer
Technologies (MCT) is primarily known as a computer company that’s also
involved in robotics and heavy industry—but it’s less well known that they’re
one of the biggest manufacturers of magical goods around (after Aztechnology).
They’re also rumored to be in bed with the Yakuza, though the jury’s still out
on who’s pulling the strings in that relationship. In any case, they’ve
established quite a presence in CalFree over the last few years, taking a lead
role in the control of
Shadowrunners have a love-hate view of working with MCT—the
corp pays very well for success, but their tolerance for failure is only
slightly less draconian than Saeder-Krupp’s (and S-K at least has the excuse of
an actual dragon running the show). When running against them, success
becomes even more important, because their “zero-zone” policy usually means
unsuccessful runners don’t get out alive.
NeoNET
Headquarters:
This corp’s primary mover and shaker, Novatech, might
just as well be called “
With the influx of money brought on by the IPO and the
merger, the new megacorp has diversified its interests into just about every
industry, including Matrix infrastructure, cyberware, electronics, software,
biotech, aerospace, small arms, and many others. They’re definitely one to
watch.
Renraku Computer
Systems
Headquarters:
Renraku, already reeling from the Seattle Arcology
debacle, didn’t fare too well following the Crash— due to the machinations of
former Renraku America division manager Sherman Huang (now rotting in some
Renraku jail cell, assuming he’s still alive at all), the corp lost a big chunk
of money and, much more importantly, the opportunity to get the jump on the
emerging augmented-reality market. In the world of megacorps, second best is
the first loser, and Renraku didn’t even make second best.
That’s not to say that the Big R is hurting that bad, though—as
their name implies (it means “communication” in Japanese) they’re still the
world’s largest data repository and own a substantial piece of Asia’s telecom
grids, so they’re not without their bargaining chips. After all, when nobody
knows what kind of useful or potentially incriminating information you’ve got
squirreled away in your databanks, it’s going to take some strong motivation to
risk messing with you. That’s what Renraku is counting on as it rebuilds and
reinvents itself.
Saeder-Krupp
Heavy Industries
Headquarters:
Saeder-Krupp Heavy Industries can be summed up in one
word: Lofwyr. The great dragon owns nearly 100% of this German-based megacorp,
and he rules it with the kind of attention to detail that only one of his kind
can maintain. It’s not impossible to put one over on Lofwyr, but it’s very difficult—
and usually fatal. The wyrm doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and shadowrunners who
go against him (or fail in one of his jobs) might just find themselves on his
list—which also happens to be his lunch menu.
Primarily involved in heavy industry, S-K is also strong in
chemicals, finance, and aerospace with a presence in many other areas. Secure
in its position as the largest corporation in the world, it wields extensive
power and influence.
Shiawase
Corporation
Headquarters:
The oldest of the megas, Shiawase holds the claim to fame
of being behind the court case that ultimately led to the extraterritoriality
that all megacorps know and love today. A classic Japanese zaibatsu, Shiawase is
run in a traditional “family” style, with most employees signing lifetime contracts
and even marrying within the corp. Families, however, tend to squabble—and a
big squabble between the corp’s various (and interrelated) warring factions
back during the Crash resulted in a huge shakeup, redistributing vast swaths of
stock and rewriting the top levels of Shiawase’s orgchart in one fell swoop.
As for what they do, the question is more, “What don’t
they do?” Either directly or through subsidiaries, Shiawase has its hands
in nuclear power, environmental engineering, biotech, heavy industry, technical
service, minerals, military goods, and a whole lot more.
Wuxing,
Incorporated
Headquarters:
The only Chinese player on the megacorp scene, Wuxing
owes its ascension to the rarefied ranks of the Big Ten to the late great (dragon,
that is) Dunkelzahn, who bequeathed a big pile of nuyen to the company—along
with a couple of wiz magical goodies for Wuxing’s CEO Wu Lung-Wei and his wife
Sharon. Wu parlayed this windfall into a position of new power for his corp,
allowing Wuxing to muscle its way onto the
Traditionally focused on finance and shipping concerns, Wuxing
has drastically-expanded its magical-services and magical-goods projects,
making a name for itself as the new “mystic” megacorp. Thanks to its post-Crash
buyouts—fueled by profits from the Orichalcum Rush during the Year of the Comet—Wuxing
has also expanded heavily into other markets, including agriculture,
engineering, consumer goods, and chemicals.