Yoko Taro, the imaginative mind behind the Nier and Drakenguard series, has left fans yearning for more as he remains notably silent on any new major game developments. While he has contributed to smaller projects like Voice of Cards and various mobile games, the absence of a new Nier installment has stirred curiosity among enthusiasts. However, Taro has revealed that he has indeed been active in the creative process, though his efforts have been thwarted by cancellations.
Unveiling Canceled Projects
During his appearance at Korea’s G-Con 2025, Taro disclosed insights about his recent endeavors. The conversation, recounted by reports, featured Taro alongside Hideki Kamiya, renowned for directing Bayonetta and Okami. While Kamiya shared news about an Okami sequel, Taro spoke candidly about his busy yet frustrating journey, frequently encountering projects that were abruptly halted mid-development.
“I often get told stuff like ‘Why aren’t you making a new sequel to NieR’ or ‘Yoko Taro isn’t doing anything,’ but that’s because recently, a lot of projects I was involved in got discontinued midway through development,” he said.
“I’ve actually been working on some stuff, it’s just that it never ended up seeing the light of day. I got paid for it, so I personally have no issues with that, but people seem to think that I haven’t been doing anything just because none of the work I’ve done is being released.”
Resilient Creativity
Despite these setbacks, Taro remains undeterred. He expressed a preference for experimenting and risking failure to eventually produce something exceptional, rather than releasing a series of lackluster works. “I believe that if I’m going to release something weird, I’d be better off not releasing anything at all.”
For fans of the Nier series, the news might not be entirely uplifting, given the anticipation surrounding a potential new Nier game. The complication surrounding Nier: Reincarnation, a sequel to Nier: Automata now defunct as a mobile gacha game, adds to the uncertainty.
Here’s hoping Taro’s unique creativity finds a way to blossom into a project that reaches its audience in the near future.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images.