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- Former PlayStation executive says NieR: Automata revived the Japanese gaming industry.
- He says that before NieR, the Japanese developers were chasing overseas trends.
- That wasn’t working out for them, so the launch of NieR was a paradigm shift.
PlatinumGames launched NieR: Automata in 2017, a time when the Japanese gaming industry was going through a lot of uncertainty. A former PlayStation boss says NieR was the game that helped revive the industry and put it back on track.
Why it matters: NieR was a huge hit not only in Japan but also globally, and has since gone on to sell over 8 million copies on all platforms with universal critical acclaim.
In an interview with AVWatch, former SIE President Shuhei Yoshida talked in detail about the Japanese gaming industry. He said before NieR, Japanese studios were chasing overseas development trends, which weren’t working out for them.
With NieR’s launch, they observed a big change in the system. Instead of following trends, director Yoko Taro decided it was time they follow their own culture with games and create something that they better understand.
I think the Japanese game industry was revived after NieR so much so that I would say it was before NieR and after NieR
– Shuhei Yoshida
So after the game launched and became a global hit, it became clear that making Japanese things was working out for them and they were selling well overseas as well. This is where the Square Enix-published game helped the industry’s revival.
Not only this, but it also inspired a whole generation of action games. Last year, we saw an excellent entry in the form of Stellar Blade. NieR director praised it, and even had a collaboration with Shift Up Entertainment’s title.
Anyhow, it’s been 8 years since the original game, and PlatinumGames is finally expected to reveal the much-awaited sequel this year. While the studio hasn’t officially announced anything, most fans will have their fingers crossed.
What are your thoughts on NieR: Automata helping save the Japanese gaming industry? Let us know your opinions in the comments or join the discussion at the official Tech4Gamers Forum.
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News Reporter
Abdullah is an avid gamer who primarily plays single-player titles. If you can’t find him anywhere, he’ll probably be at his desk playing The Witcher 3 for the millionth time. When he isn’t playing games, he’s either reading or writing about them.
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