Cybernations was started on January 6, 2006. It premiered to pretty much no fanfare and only a handful of nations joining over the next few days. After a week there were about 100 nations, who were mostly a friendly and tight-nit community. From the beginning, Alliances have been the cornerstone of the game. Though there were a sizable number in the early days, the ones of significance were two: The Cross Atlantic Treaty Organization founded by Depraved, and the Imperial Nations Coalition created by Ninja, henceforth known as CATO and INC, respectively. After massive growth, CATO changed its name to the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization, or GATO, the name it is known by today.