According to a recent interview, Yoko Taro says he was told to “not worry” about overseas players when making NieR: Automata.
As reported by Automaton, Taro said that when he was developing the game he was told by producer Yosuke Saito that he should make a game ““that targets the Japanese market, without worrying about overseas reviews.”
なんか飛んできたので。オートマタを評価していただいているのは光栄ですが、「海外評価を気にせず日本向けに作れ」と命令したのは齊藤Ｐです。
もうちょっと正確に言うなら「ヨコオさんは海外向けにゲーム作るのは無理だから（せめて）日本向けに頑張ってくれ」的なことを言われたような記憶。 https://t.co/kOr2BwjFSs
— yokotaro (@yokotaro) March 29, 2025
The comments come after industry veteran Shuhei Yoshida praised the game, saying that it revitalized Japanese game development and showed that western audiences were able to appreciate Japanese storytelling without special consideration.
“I think that the Japanese game industry revived after Nier, so much so that you could talk about pre-Nier and post-Nier eras. Simply put, I think that was the title that made everyone want to pursue Japanese-style games,”
Today, NieR: Automata is considered one of the most profound Japanese action RPGs in recent years.
Despite the game’s success, Taro has said that the NieR franchise is basically done… unless he gets a “big pile of money“.
NieR: Automata has been available on Windows PC (via Steam), Xbox One, Switch, and PlayStation 4. Get our review for the game!
