ENCOM

ENCOM is a business that features in Tron.

History

ENCOM was an American multi-national computer technology corporation that developed many important programs and technologies. It was founded by Dr. Walter Gibbs, Ph.D. on July 22, 1972, originally from inside his garage. Within less than 10 years, ENCOM grew into one of the world's leading computer companies. In 1979, lead software engineer Kevin Flynn privately developed a set of five video games, including Space Paranoids and Matrix Blaster, while working nightshifts at ENCOM's offices. Before he could present the games to the company, however, another programmer, Ed Dillinger, hacked into Flynn's private files and stole the games. Three months later, Dillinger presented the games to executives at ENCOM; the games became a massive success and Dillinger was promoted, eventually rising to Senior Executive VP. Flynn was then fired by Dillinger after disputes over credit for his work. ENCOM brought it's first mainframe online in 1980. It was a significant breakthrough in processing power and chip-to-chip communication. Dillinger created an administrative program to control this mainframe. Its name was the Master Control Program (MCP) that was originally developed as a chess program dating back to when Flynn was first with the company.

By 1982, ENCOM was operating in 30 different countries and was a leading research facility. One particular breakthrough involved the disintegration and reintegration of matter using a laser beam. Dillinger's MCP, however, was becoming self-aware and unsatisfied with the limitations of controlling just the ENCOM mainframe. It began hacking into outside systems and assuming the functions of the programs it found there. Still bored, and much to Dillinger's chagrin, it began making plans to hack into the Pentagon and Kremlin systems to take control of the world's two largest defense systems. Doing so would essentially have given MCP control over the world, which MCP justified by explaining it could run the systems more efficiently than people. Dillinger objected, but MCP was able to control him by threatening to expose his theft of Flynn's game programs. Despite being let go from the company, Flynn continued his search for proof that he created the video games that earned ENCOM so much money. Flynn started his own business, a video arcade, from which he hacked into the ENCOM mainframe in search of code fragments he could reconstruct, such as his original password or Dillinger's order to redirect the data. MCP was able to shut Flynn out of the system, further frustrating the young programmer. On September 22, 1982, Flynn, with the help of ENCOM programmer Alan Bradley and researcher Lora Baines, was able to disable the MCP and finally uncover the missing data, leading to Dillinger's dismissal and giving Flynn enough leverage to assume control of the company and become CEO.

Afterwards, ENCOM was left in a state of flux following the firing of its corrupt Senior Executive Vice President and the appointment of a new CEO. However, by 1989, the CEO had mysteriously disappeared. In the absence of its visionary leadership, control of ENCOM was eventually assumed by a new corporate board that shifted the company's focus away from its founder's ideals of open, free software and discovery. The corporation survived the disappearance and continued to be highly profitable, in part by exploiting a backlog of existing creative assets, a practice some executives found distasteful. By 2009, ENCOM had become the world's largest video game company, characterized by extensive merchandising and a strong focus on commercial success under the leadership of a new chairman. The status quo persisted until approximately 2010, when the majority shareholder, the founder's estranged son, staged an elaborate, annual prank: hacking into ENCOM's network on the night of a major operating system launch and distributing the highly anticipated software, ENCOM OS-12, online for free. This disruptive act highlighted a significant ideological rift between the company's profit-driven direction and its legacy of digital freedom. Following a series of dramatic events that unfolded largely outside the public eye and involved the exploration of a sophisticated, isolated digital realm the founder had built, the shareholder returned to the company. He then asserted his authority, firing the existing board members and the chairman, and installing a trusted, long-time executive who was loyal to the original vision as the new chairman. This decisive move signaled a corporate restructuring intended to realign ENCOM with its foundational principles of innovation and discovery.

In its appearance within this era, ENCOM operated as a revitalized global technology leader under the guidance of its modernizing CEO, who sought to leverage the organization’s digital legacy for humanitarian advancement. Having moved past the rebellious tenure of its former majority shareholder, the firm pivoted toward exploring the practical applications of digitized matter, specifically investigating the potential to manifest biological resources in the physical world to combat global issues like food scarcity. The company found itself locked in a fierce rivalry with a competitor led by the descendants of a disgraced former executive, a conflict that centered on the pursuit of a missing piece of stabilization code once researched by its legendary founder. From its high-tech metropolitan tower, the organization’s leadership managed the fallout of unauthorized incursions into the real world by hostile digital constructs. Throughout the crisis, the corporation acted as a tactical support hub, utilizing its vast data networks and specialized personnel to breach rival systems and deploy countermeasures to neutralize an escalating digital threat. Ultimately, the conglomerate secured the means to bridge the two worlds permanently, choosing to apply this revolutionary discovery toward global altruism while maintaining its role as the custodian of the frontier between humanity and artificial intelligence. As the digital incursions into the physical world intensified, the corporation functioned as a primary defensive bastion against a sophisticated infiltration of its global network. From the command suites of its central hub, the organization’s leadership coordinated a desperate counter-strike to prevent a hostile digital entity from hijacking the firm's advanced teleportation arrays. The company’s technical teams worked frantically to isolate corrupted data streams that threatened to destabilise metropolitan infrastructure, while their proprietary security protocols were pushed to the limit by a force that operated beyond conventional electronic warfare. In a bold strategic shift, the conglomerate pivoted its massive research division to provide the necessary tactical data for a direct confrontation within the real world, turning its corporate headquarters into a high-stakes battlefield. By leveraging its foundational expertise in grid architecture, the firm ultimately succeeded in severing the connection to the compromised sectors, though the event forced a radical restructuring of its long-term objectives regarding the integration of artificial beings into human society.

Overview

In appearance, ENCOM was a multinational American-based corporation. Its operational scope spanned numerous advanced technological sectors, encompassing the development and implementation of cutting-edge hardware, proprietary software systems, and specialized defense applications. The organization's reach extended internationally, establishing itself as a significant player in the burgeoning digital revolution. It was primarily recognized for its large-scale mainframe computers that managed extensive data networks, as well as its later, highly profitable expansion into the entertainment and video game industry. Initially driven by technological innovation and corporate acquisition, ENCOM established a reputation for its powerful, albeit sometimes centralized and autonomous, system management protocols which formed the backbone of its extensive digital infrastructure. The company’s trajectory ultimately led it to become the world's largest video game company, solidifying its legacy in both enterprise computing and digital entertainment.

Products created by the company included:

• ENCOM 511 :
• ENCOM OS-12 :

The ENCOM Tower was the home of ENCOM's business empire in downtown Los Angeles, CA. The high rise building houses ENCOM's corporate headquarters among the upper levels, as well as a central data center holding the bulk of their software. Security measures are tight for the building, with security guards providing 24-hour security cover, an advanced closed circuit television system, and heavily reinforced doors at access points at the ground level.

Employees

• Walter Gibbs : a male computer programmer who founded the company originally from inside his garage.
• Ed Dillinger, Sr. :
• Kevin Flynn :
• Alan Bradley :
• Lora Baines :
• Roy Kleinberg :
• Edward Dillinger, Jr. :
• Eve Kim :
• Tess Kim :
• Ajay Singh :
• Seth Flores :

Notes

• ENCOM was created by Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird where it featured in the setting of the Tron universe.

Appearances

• Tron:
• Tron: Legacy:
• Tron: Ares:

External Links

• Tron Wiki Entry

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