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Shuhei Yoshida believes Nier: Automata was a turning point in modern Japanese games

Yoshida claims that NieR: Automata was an inflection point in which devs stopped worrying about if games rich in Japanese culture would sell overseas.

TJ Denzer

March 28, 2025 12:46 PM

Image via Square Enix

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NieR: Automata is a highly regarded game. It’s widely considered to be the one of the best hits that Yoko Taro and PlatinumGames have ever produced, and it’s hard to argue given the millions of units that the game has sold, the orchestras that have put on concerts with its soundtrack, and its myriad of crossovers into other games since. In fact, former PlayStation Indies boss Shuhei Yoshida says it had astronomical effect on the Japanese gaming scene.

Yoshida shared his thoughts on NieR: Automata’s impact in a recent interview with Japanese publication AV Watch, as shared by Genki on social media. There, he speaks to how Yoko Taro, knowingly or unwittingly, changed the way Japanese devs thought about modern game design when NieR: Automata came out in 2017:

Shuhei Yoshida says NieR: Automata was the game that revived the Japanese games industry after it struggled chasing overseas trends in the PS3 era.

"I think Yoko Taro made it without thinking whether or not it would sell overseas. However, it was a huge hit overseas.

From there… pic.twitter.com/DlQG4bSHIZ

— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) March 28, 2025

Yoshida believes the impact of Automata was so heavy that Japanese game design entered a new era afterwards:

It’s hard to argue with the results of NieR: Automata. The game was much beloved in reviews, including here at Shacknews, and went on to sell millions of copies. Yoko Taro himself called it a fluke and doesn’t believe he’ll have the same success again, but it hasn’t stopped 2B and other things from NieR from appearing in other games like Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising and Soulcaliber 6.

These days, Yoko Taro is working on something new that they haven’t revealed quite yet, but Shuhei Yoshida seems to believe that whatever comes of it, the Japanese gaming industry owes quite a debt to Taro and the NieR team. As we wait to see what form Taro’s next project takes, stay tuned to Shacknews for more updates and details.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on BlueSky @JohnnyChugs.