Nier only exists because Saito refused a major franchise project

The series Nier — now considered a reference in Japanese action RPGs, with nearly 10 million copies sold just for Nier: Automata — almost never existed. In a recent interview with the magazine Famitsu (via Automaton), producer Yosuke Saito revealed that he considered working on “a very famous title that everyone knows” before betting on the then experimental project of Yoko Taro.

“But I chose Yoko Taro!,” said Saito, remembering the decisive moment.

The choice was not simple. According to him, there were two options on the table: a partnership with Taro on an original and risky project, or joining the team of an already established franchise. The name of this other franchise was never revealed, but the interviewer himself jokes about the idea of an alternate universe where the Nier franchise was never created.

Yoko Taro, known for his unconventional narrative style and for mixing philosophical themes with atypical game structures, recalls that the first Nier was treated as an “experimental project”. The bet, however, paid off. The release of Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139 further reinforced the value of the franchise by revisiting the original from 2010 with refined mechanics and modernized visuals.

The impact of the series was such that even the former head of PlayStation division, Shuhei Yoshida, publicly declared that Nier “revived the Japanese game industry”. It is not an exaggeration to say that the series helped restore the prestige of Japanese RPGs amidst the dominance of Western titles in the global market.

Interestingly, Nier was not the only idea that Taro had at the time. The producer recalls a second pitch made by the director: a side-scrolling action and puzzle game, similar to “Solomon’s Key”, called Echo.

“I asked him to reconsider,” said Saito, commenting on the proposal.

For now, they both continue working on a new project that may — or may not — be Nier 3. According to Saito, in a humorous tone:

“Nothing has changed” in the new game, which may be announced in 2027, if “they are still alive by then”.

While the future of the franchise remains shrouded in mystery, the past is already definitive: the bet on Taro shaped the legacy of one of the most remarkable RPGs of the last decade — and silently refused the safer path of an already established IP.