Jeff Walter
Jeff Walter was a wealthy entrepreneur who was responsible for rebuilding most of Stalburg's infrastructure. He is the founder of his own company, Walter Corporation, and his character is pivotal in the events prior to INFRA.
| Character of INFRA | |
 | |
| General | |
|---|---|
| Name | Jeff Walter |
| Status |
Deceased (Killed by Alex Hartman or Suicide?) |
| Gender | Male |
| Appearances | None |
| Family |
Anna Walter Sister Damon (dead) Cousin |
| Voiced by | John Cavanagh |
| Job | |
| Company | Walter Corporation |
| Position | CEO |
Biography
Jeff Walter was born in Stalburg in 1922. After Stalburg's destruction from multiple bombings during World War II, Walter saw potential in the city and was determined to bring it back to it's former glory. He founded his own construction company, the Walter Corporation, and hired the city's unemployed and homeless to build entire districts along with affordable housing, huge factories, hundreds of kilometers of road and other vital infrastructure. Walter practically rebuilt the whole city from next to nothing. For his benevolent deeds, he was idolized and well known for his achievements. It was thanks to him, Stalburg's future seemed bright as ever.
Sometime in the early 1970s, Stalburg Nuclear Weapons, a secretive military organization with corrupt leaders, saw Jeff Walter and his corporation as a means to fund the development and sale of nuclear, as well as biological weapons. S.N.W. manipulated Walter into handing over control of his company under the guise of creating weapons for the security of Stalburg's future.
The Walter Corporation, under control of S.N.W, bankrupted many companies critical to Stalburg's economy and infrastructure, causing unemployment rates to skyrocket, and leaving the maintenance of many key structures unattended. Walter soon became aware of these events, and went into hiding to find a way to reveal the conspiracy, vanishing to the public eye. Out of luck, he managed to meet Xeander Berg, the lead scientist in S.N.W.'s bunker and co-founder of the Bergmann Group. Berg proved to be more than an asset, and revealed to Walter what was going on inside the bunker, as well as help provide a list of names of key operatives in the S.N.W project. To publicize this information, Walter arranged a private meeting with Max Koller, the police officer in charge of investigating Walter's disappearance. Their subsequent meeting and interviews however, were interrupted by Alex Hartman, whose misguided crusade against Walter resulted in Walter's death.
Death
The specifics of how Jeff Walter died is unclear, while doing an interview with Max Koller in Rosenthal's villa, Alex Hartman interrupted the interview and ended up shooting Koller. Afterwards, Walter presumably tried to get his gun from a hidden cabinet, but was shot by Hartman before he could do so, or possibly used it on himself. Hartman's reaction of "Why did you do that? This wasn't supposed to happen..." supports this theory.
However, another interpretation is that Hartman had not expected Walter to have a firearm accessible, and having killed the cop, fully intended to take him hostage with no resistance, presumably to locate Berg, and the reaction instead referenced the fact that Walter had a gun, and Hartman shooting him on reflex.
Relationships
Alex Hartman
Hartman absolutely hated Walter, and erroneously blamed his company's negligence as the reason his wife and child died, holding Walter personally responsible for the city falling apart. Walter was aware that Hammer Valley Hydro went bankrupt, but was unaware of the extent of Hartman's hatred towards him, and couldn't negotiate with the obviously unstable man.
Max Koller
Walter presumably arranged a meeting with Koller to publicize information about S.N.W, who at the time was still investigating Walter's disappearance. Koller was patient with Walter in the two separate interviews he conducted, and attempted to defend Walter when threatened by Alex Hartman. Walter was prepared to entrust Koller with the list of S.N.W key operatives, proving the two trusted each other. Hartman speculated that Koller was working for Walter as his connection to Stalburg's police department, but whether or not this is true is unclear.
Mikhail Rosenthal
According to a document in Stalburg Steel, Rosenthal considered Walter a friend, and was very loyal to him. Rosenthal let Walter live inside his private villa, and assisted him in monitoring Alex Hartman to make sure he didn't interfere with Walter's goals.
Xeander Berg
Walter and Berg shared a similar goal in exposing S.N.W, and managed to compile condemning information against them through Berg's insider information and Walter's connections. When Berg began to show symptoms of S.M.V., Walter provided a place for him to hide on Castle Rock Island, and wrote a final unsent letter to him to thank him for everything he's done, and asks if he would want to meet with Eric Kleinmann.
Quotes
Videotape in Skyscraper
"Citizens of Stalburg. Let me ask you. Who was it that rebuilt this city? Who was the one that protected this city, and dedicated his whole life to its well-being? And yet, this is how you thank me? You believed those who betrayed us, and labeled me a traitor. I know they've been up to something big, something that could be catastrophic for our future. But I won't let them destroy Stalburg, my life's work. The corrupt officials want to silence me, but I won't let them. They will never find me, and I won't rest until everyone knows the truth! They have exploited my financial imperium for this own benefit, under the veil of protecting the city and its people! They must be stopped before it's too late, for the sake of our future and livelihood. They're building a-"
Walter's Secretary: "Uh- Mr. Walter. Some men from the military just barged in looking for you!''
Trivia
- In the villa, Walter's player model can be found in a room on the top floor with the lights on. He is sitting in a chair next to his desk. However, this room is not accessible without noclip so it is most likely cut content or an easter egg.