CNS is a mysterious hacking collective with the goal of destabilizing THE FINALS. They are responsible for cyberattacks against the gameshow and other in-game companies. They encourage viewers to "seek the truth beyond the walls," though their exact motivations are unclear.
Story
At some point in time, CNS began disrupting and hijacking official broadcasts of THE FINALS. These are demonstrated via official trailers from Embark Studios featuring broadcast interruptions accompanied by text such as: "THIS BROADCAST HAS BEEN HACKED BY CNS. [ SEEK THE TRUTH BEYOND THE WALLS !]" and "[ ONE NIGHT, THREE DAWNS. SEE THE SIGNS ]."
In Monaco, the message "S Lies" is written on a hidden wall underneath the construction site, likely having been placed by CNS at an early stage of their infiltration. Commentator June later states: "the writing's on the wall, literally" when commenting on CNS's disruptions at the time.
In late Season 1, CNS ramped up their presence, and glitch clusters began appearing in the virtual arenas of the gameshow. Ahead of Season 2, a user named 4RCU5 began leaking new content and confidential MultiCo documents, alongside cryptic messages, via the real-world r/cns subreddit. CNS then performed a major attack, successfully breaking into the gameshow and promising to "change the game" by introducing several pieces of content, including new contestant equipment, the hacked arena SYS$HORIZON, and later the gamemode Terminal Attack. CNS's break in was facilitated by an oversight, vulnerability, or backdoor in VOLPE's technology.
In response, owner of the gameshow MultiCo enlisted cybersecurity company VAIIYA to contain and remove CNS's presence. VAIIYA insisted on rebooting and resetting the AI controlling THE FINALS, which caused it to go into a lockdown mode, transporting the show to feudal Japan and leading into Season 3.
Ahead of Season 4, MultiCo sent representative Marcel (nicknamed "Merciless Marcel") to speak to the sponsors and take some of CNS's changes "out of the spotlight."
Other Information
Messages from CNS have appeared in several trailers, renders, and other official content released by Embark prior to their major hack in Season 2.
On February 3, 2024, after hotfix 1.6.1, HOLTOW's website was updated. Originally it displayed a red blinking dot, but now it displayed a hacked version of the site featuring glitchy text and static. It contained a message from CNS, confirming their involvement.
Image Metadata
Several renders and artwork released prior to the game's launch contained messages in their metadata relating to CNS.
| Image Name | Metadata Message |
|---|---|
| THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_Ingame_Heavy_Yellow_2880x1620 |
|
| THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_Iseult_Chill_2880x1620 |
|
| A_Space_Friend |
|
| THE_FINALS_Namabatama |
|
| IMG_CDIV |
|
| THE_FINALS_NAMALAPIS |
|
| THE_FINALS_CB2_Guns_and_Namas |
|
| THE_FINALS_SHHH |
|
| THE_FINALS_NeverOddOrEven |
|
Trailers
During the Closed Beta 2 trailer, a broadcast interruption occurs, and the following text appears on screen:
GOOD EVENING !
THIS BROADCAST HAS BEEN HACKED BY CNS
[ SEEK THE TRUTH
BEYOND THE WALLS !]
A second message appeared in the Season 1 trailer:
GOOD EVENING !
THIS BROADCAST HAS BEEN HACKED BY CNS
[ ONE NIGHT, THREE DAWNS
SEE THE SIGNS ]
The first message from CNS in the trailer for CB2
The second message from CNS in the Season 1 trailer
Theories & Speculation
Easter egg hunter fishxw theorized that CNS may refer to a central nervous system of sorts. This was confirmed by Rob Runesson, CCO of Embark Studios and creator of THE FINALS Easter Egg Hunt.
Gallery
Cover of the Season 2 original soundtrack
CNS took over official THE FINALS social media accounts leading into Season 2
