In celebration of Nier: Automata’s port to the Nintendo Switch, director Yoko Taro and producer Yosuke Saito have issued statements to its fanbase. Of course, in true Nier: Automata fashion, these statements were bizarre, hilarious, and full of subtle hints.
Taro’s statement thanked Nier: Automata fans for making the End of Yorha Edition port possible–a relatively normal statement in itself. The silliness began in the second paragraph, where he claimed he had been sent to an underground Square Enix facility. There, he and other kidnaped developers were being subjected to forced labor to make video games. The message ended when Taro was seemingly discovered by the AI overlords responsible for his imprisonment.
The statement from Saito which followed gave similar thanks to the first. Saito then announced Square Enix had successfully developed an AI to allow Yoko Taro to work on new games faster thanks to the fan desire for more content. It ends with Saito urging players to look forward to more games from Yoko Taro. Throughout the messages, the words “Yoko Taro” and “AI” were consistently of a larger font than the others, leading Nier fans to speculate a deeper meaning to the messages.
While this may sound completely off the wall, this sort of behavior is to be expected from the Nier developers, especially Yoko Taro. The legendary developer is well-known for never showing his face–all public appearances he makes sports him wearing a mask themed on the Nier series. There has yet to be a public appearance, statement, or interview with Yoko Taro that could be considered normal.
Nier: Automata fans are already buzzing about the recent message from the developers. This player base in particular is known for its ability to investigate–and over-analyze–every detail they can get their hands on, as evidenced from the supposed secret door in Nier: Automata discovered over the summer. Many players hope this message might be a clue Yoko Taro might be developing a new Nier or Drakengard title soon.
Some Nier: Automata fans are a little nervous at the statement, however. Yosuke Saito was recently appointed to Square Enix’s new Blockchain Entertainment Business division in April. In September, Square Enix also debuted its partnership with Oasys, a new gaming blockchain group. Especially considering this Nier statement’s emphasis on AI, many wonder if Saito is planning on using the Nier franchise to experiment with AI art or NFTs–two controversial technologies involved with cryptocurrencies and the blockchain. Hopefully these players’ fears are unfounded, and Yoko Taro’s work is not marred with the drama surrounding the divisive technology.
NieR: Automata is available to play on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
