During the 4.5 hour-long livestream tonight, Yoko Taro and Saito Yosuke dropped the news that they’re currently working on not only one new game but two!
Generally, this is a program where various members of the video game industry get together and just chit-chat about this and that, directed by general themes throughout. This time, when Saito was given the topic to discuss something he regrets, this is what happened…
(Around 2:23:00)
Saito: There are many things I still can’t talk about, but… I mean, we’re doing NieR— Replicant and Re[in]carnation— then there’s Babylon (Babylon’s Fall) as well. There’s also talk about doing the next Automata, so when I was talking with Yoko about what we should do next, Yoko talked about something he really wants to do, but I told him I absolutely don’t want to do it. I was like, if you really want to do it, then you put up the money for it! But he presented it to me like I had never seen him do before. So, then he was like, “Okay, I have time tomorrow.” But that was a Sunday. Oh, wait. We talked on a Friday evening, so he was like, “Let’s talk tomorrow,” but I told him I couldn’t. So, he ended up showing me an hour-long presentation on Sunday. After that, we went out to eat and 3 bottles of wine later, I told him “let’s do it.” So, that’s what I regret, even now. He won me over with wine. I want to quit right now if I could.
Yoko: This was the first time that I actually said what I wanted to do.
Saito: If it’s something Yoko wants to do, then I want to let him do it, to try out various different things. But I was entirely against it when he first brought it up.
Saito V: Is it a ways off yet?
Saito: Yes, it’ll be a while, but I hope you look forward to it.
Harada: About how long ago did you have this discussion?
Saito: It’s about a year or so ago.
Yoko: It was more than a year ago. It was quite a while ago.
Harada: Oh, then it’s proceeding pretty well.
Yoko: Not so much…
Saito: It’s progressing gradually.
Saito V: The comments are asking if it’s a game or something else.
Saito: It’s a game.
Yoko: Are we really announcing something like this on Idobata Kaigi??
Saito: It’s an absolutely INSANE game.
Saito: I see this in the comments, but it’s not a rhythm/music game.
Yoko: I dunno, man, maybe we’ll make it into one.
Saito: It’s not a casual game.
Yoko: Ahh, I don’t know about that… Maybe it’ll become casual…
(Around 2:26:40)
Saito: But don’t misunderstand. I don’t know if this is good to bring up or not, but… Before this thing that Yoko wants to do that I’m against, there’s one more thing that I both of us wanted to do.
Yoko: Yes, so there are two games that Saito and I am working on.
Saito V: You’re actually going to announce this on Idobata Kaigi?? Not just one, but two!?
So, yes. Yoko is working on two new titles unrelated to the upcoming NieR Replicant Ver.1.22474487139… or NieR Re[in]carnation, but it sounds like it will be awhile yet before we hear anything of much substance about either of them. The title they both want to do sounds like it will be coming before the one Saito’s not too keen on, however.