Entropism

The Fourth Corporate War broke out and Entropism was born. Vast and deep crises forced people to find ways to survive by any means. Getting the job done, no matter how, was the primary goal. The look - who cares?

 — 2077 in Style

"Necessity over Style"

Entropism is the second of the four major styles seen in Cyberpunk 2077.

Overview

The first of the design eras, Entropism, is typified by "necessity over style", and draws its roots from a period of austerity following the Fourth Corporate War. Buildings in the style of Entropism are old, grey, and decrepit, and appear in areas where people can't afford to modernize.

Behind the scenes

NECESSITY OVER STYLE

Entropism is the style of poverty. We encounter it in the neglected parts of Night City, where the bottom rung of society has been left to its own devices. The products of Entropism are crude—ugly, even—yet durable. As its catchphrase suggests, it is design governed by necessity, not esthetics.

Entropism embodies the breakdown the Fourth Corporate War left in its wake. When supply lines and international trade collapsed, an enormous crisis followed, leaving people to find ways to survive by any means and using whatever was available to them. That lead to the emergence of a new style that valued cost efficiency and getting the job done above all else. Corporations and tinkerers alike started producing cheap, crude implants and vehicles, hacks to get people through hard times. By 2077, some vintage examples from Entropism's^[sic] heyday are still in use, but most products made in this style that we encounter are new. Plenty of companies still manufacture cheap goods for those that can afford only the lowest of the low-end.

These are the low-end clunkers and service vehicles, with boxy, asymmetrical bodies whose awkward, imprecise angles are interrupted by grafted-on lidar arrays and other aftermarket additions. Their interiors are bare and low-tech, with ancient green-and-black displays and cheap materials such as plastic and styrofoam. Old-fashioned halogen headlights and plenty of dents and scratches complete the look.

 — The Official Digital Artbook of Cyberpunk 2077

Notes

• A Makigai MaiMai appears on the front of the Entropism style poster.
• The Bushidō 6: Street Score poster is a modified Entropism one.

Gallery

Laptops in entropism (left) and kitsch (right) styles

Entropism terminal

Fuse boxes in the four styles (entropism is on the left)

Personal links in the four styles (entropism is on the left)

Shards in the four styles (entropism is on the left)

See also

• Kitsch
• Neomilitarism
• Neokitsch
• Fashion