Summary
The original creative leaders of theDrakengardfranchise’s spinoff series are working on a new game together, and many suspect it could be a third mainlineNiertitle. The originalNierwas released in 2010, but it was its 2017 follow-up,Nier: Automat,athat largely put the series on the map. Since then, a 2021 remaster of the original title, namedNier Replicant,helped get new fans up to speed on the origins of the spinoff series, andNier Reincarnation was releasedthat same year on mobile but was shut down in 2024.
This year, theNierseries is having its 15th anniversary. To celebrate, publisher Square Enix hosted a two-hour livestream a few weeks ago where many were expecting news about what’s next for the beloved action series. Instead, Square announced the launch ofNier’s15th anniversary website, which serves as a hub of information about the new online novel namedUndecided Option, a series of live Nier: Orchestra concert dates, new merchandise, and more. The stream ended with a 20-minute musical performance celebratingNier’s beloved soundtrack.
While Square Enix’s 15th anniversary livestream left manyNierfans wanting more, there seems to be a new rumor about the core creative members of the spinoff series who’ve banded together on a new project. Well-known Japanese games insider Genki pointed to a piece by Famitsu in which series producer Yosuke Saito confirmed thatbothNiergames' director Yoko Taro, musical composer Keiichi Okabe, and former PlatinumGames designer Takahisa Taura are working together once again on an unannounced project. While it’s not known for certain whether it’s a newNierinstallment, many fans of the franchise suspect that it very well could be.
Original Nier Creatives Working Together on New Game
The IP rights of bothDrakengardandNierbelong to Square Enix and, as such, Taro, Okabe, and Taura would have to work with Square as the publisher of a potential newNiergame. The real challenge would be finding a studio to develop the game, asPlatinumGames seems to be busy with its own projects. After departing from Platinum, Taura has just recently founded his own studio named Eel Game Studio. It wouldn’t make sense for Taura to work on an external project as he’s building up his own game studio, so there’s a good chance this new Yoko Taro mystery game could be developed at Eel Game Studio, though this is merely speculation.
If thispotential newNiergameis indeed an Eel Game Studio production, it would mean the game is several years away, as the studio is likely still in the throes of hiring talent. Even so, a brief, 30-second CGI teaser wouldn’t be too unusual to see this year. Perhaps in the meantime, Square Enix may finally release aDrakengardremaster trilogy, as all three games are still locked away on PlayStation 2 and 3.
