During a panel at G-STAR 2023 in South Korea, Yoko Taro and Yosuke Saito, the producer and director of NieR: Automata, delved into the production and development process of the game. To conclude the presentation, Saito revealed that he and Taro are currently working together on a new game project separate from the NieR series. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]
When asked if Yoko Taro believed the success he achieved from NieR: Automata could ever happen again, he fervently denied the notion that such an outcome was possible. Given the popularity of NieR: Automata, the high sales figures would be a difficult record to break. “It’s completely impossible,” Yoko Taro claimed.
Yosuke Saito attributed the success of the game to the well-balanced team that came together to work on it. The composer (Keiichi Okabe), game designer (Takahisa Taura), and character designer (Akihiko Yoshida) were all praised for their talents, but both Saito and Yoko Taro agreed that it was not their combined skill alone that made their team work. It was the team’s close relationship and balance between what the producer and director prioritized that carried the project to success. They were able to share a common vision for what they wanted the game to become.
Yoko Taro also claimed that originally, he only prioritized appealing to the taste of Japanese players, since that was all he understood. Additionally, he didn’t mind the idea of being supported by a niche market outside of Japan. That’s how he settled on the main character being a “gothic lolita girl wielding a Japanese sword.” From there, he aimed to create a game that was difficult to be compared to existing works.
Finally, Yosuke Saito ended the presentation by commenting that he would continue to work as a producer for the NieR series so long as Yoko Taro is alive. Additionally, he hinted that he would like to reveal his new project with Taro sometime in 2024.
