Please note that the video itself is not currently available on YouTube, so I will edit this post later when it is. In the meantime, you can take a look from their tweet.
I will continue to edit this post to add any additional character introductions.
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.
This year marks the 3rd Annual Yosupi Santa special livestream in which Saito Yosuke is joined by many big names in the game industry for a fun sit-down talk show. This year, however, was entirely dedicated to NieR as part of its 10th Anniversary, organizing the show into multiple “corner” segments.
Here’s a quick run-down of each segment including the guests who appeared:
NieR Re[in]carnation
Yoko Taro – Series Creative Director
Matsukawa Daichi – NieR Re[in]carnation Director (Applibot)
NieR Replicant Ver.1.22474487139…
Yoko Taro
Ito Saki – NieR Replicant Ver.1.22474487139… Director (toylogic)
Yasumoto Hiroki – CV: Weiss
Kadowaki Mai – CV: Emil
Okamoto Nobuhiko – CV: Young Brother Nier
NieR:Automata
Yoko Taro
Taura Takahisa – NieR:Automata Senior Game Designer (PlatinumGames)
Ishikawa Yui – CV: 2B
Shiraishi Ryoko – CV: Devola/Popola
Enako – Cosplayer
YoRHa Girls Ver.1.1a Stage Play
Sekiya Makoto – YoRHa Stage Play Producer
Matsuda Ichidai – Director
Onishi Momoka – No9
Koizumi Momoka – No21
Sonoda Aika – No22
Matsuda Saki – No3
YoRHa:Dark Apocalypse
Yoko Taro
Yoshida Naoki – Final Fantasy XIV Producer/Director
NieR Music
Yoko Taro
Okabe Keiichi – NieR Series Composer
Hoashi Keigo – NieR Series Composer / Piano Performance
Goto Takanori – Guitar Performance
The program also featured question and answer segments in which users submitted their questions via Twitter. A handful were selected to be answered during the show.
It was in this Q & A segment for the new Replicant Ver.1.22474487139… where we learned a couple new, interesting facts.
Q: Won’t Papa Nier be in this? I think many of us international fans like the story of father/daughter.
Yoko: If I were to say why Papa isn’t in this one, it’s because he didn’t sell the last time…
Yasumoto says that since he’s older now, he sort of understands how difficult it was for Papa Nier, but it’s an entirely different feeling from the brother/sister story. Saito says that if the relationship between Nier and Yonah is changed, it becomes an entirely different story.
Yoko says that he was told that a “macho” character would sell better overseas.
Yoko: Apparently international fans wanted a macho character but SQEX didn’t. When does that ever happen…?
Saito says that if Replicant Ver.1.22474487139… sells “a ton”, they’ll think about making Papa Nier.
Yoko: How much is “a ton?”
Saito: About half of Automata would be good.
Yoko: 2.5 million units! I’m sorry, but please forget about a Father version.
Q: What is the reason for the official site listing Nier as “Protagonist”?
Yoko: It’s because “Nier” isn’t his name.
Saito: Well, you’re able to name him yourself.
Yoko: Yes, NieR is the name of the title, it’s not his name. I keep telling people this, but nobody listens to me.
Saito: But Emil is always saying, “Nier! Nier!!”
Yoko: Well, actually it’s never said during the game.
Saito: Ah, because you can choose his name.
Yoko: Yes, that’s right. You can give him any name, so Emil doesn’t actually say his name anywhere in the game.
Yasumoto: Even this time (Ver.1.22…), too?
Yoko: Yes, it’s never said this time either.
Yasumoto: Oh, actually in Automata, it refers to him as “that person.”
Kadowaki: What about the Drama CD? Replicant High?
Yoko: Well, I gave up then.
Saito: So, you’re saying that someone along the way started calling the protagonist “Nier” and it just stuck, right?
Yoko: Yes, fans started calling him Nier and it kept on from there.
Yoko: Actually, naming him this way was an homage to Dragon Quest.
Yasumoto: I don’t think anyone understood that…
Yoko: When I was writing the novellas, I was told I had to give him a name, so I grudgingly used that name. But as far as the game goes, he’s simply the protagonist. Nier isn’t his name.
Yoko: Yeah, so when people played NieR:Automata and were like, “Why is this called NieR if Nier isn’t even in it!?” …I kept thinking, “But it’s NOT his name!!” and rage quit.
Everyone: It (NieR) is a concept, a general idea.
Yoko: Yes, the name of the title.
NieR Replicant Ver.1.22474487139… is scheduled to be released in Japan on April 22, 2021 and worldwide the following day. View the international site here.
NieR Re[in]carnation is scheduled to be released in Japan on February 18, 2021 for iOS and Android.
Information on the YoRHa Girls Ver.1.1a stage play can be found here. Additional information on the YoRHa series of plays can be found here.
During Saito Yosuke’s Christmas special last night on Christmas Eve, they announced a brand new stage play by Yoko Taro. Please see below for the current details.
All are the strongest. All are madmen. And all are foodies. The war-torn “Hinokuni” was conquered by Tokugawa Ieyasu. Swordsmen who have lost their purpose to fight happen to meet at the restaurant “Yatsumedo.” They heard a rumor that an Imperial Match* would be held for the shogun to choose his swordsmen.
Imperial Match (Gozen Jiai, 御前試合): A martial arts match held in front of shoguns and daimyu during the samurai era. Also a match to be held in front of the Emperor.
The majority if not all of the characters in this cast are a variety of famous figures in the history of Japan, but the main point that sticks out is that not all of them are from the same time. There are characters from the Sengoku, Azuchi-Momoyama, and early Edo periods, some separated by over 200 years.
In terms of the date, this stage play will debut AFTER the release of NieR Re[in]carnation (Rein) and BEFORE Replicant Ver.1.22… I have a hard time believing this will have any direct connection to Replicant, but I can imagine it having an indirect connection to Rein since it’s basically a mash-up of various stories, plus we already know there is at least one story that takes place around the Sengoku period (see also: Assassin). Notably, the family crest that is shown in her design is originally made for this project, but it somewhat resembles that of the Sasaki clan, so I would watch out for a possible connection with Sasaki Setsu with this clan. Another clue for this is that… There is no real-world famous figure by the name of “Sasaki Setsu”, so I would imagine this is an inserted, original character.
Additionally, I couldn’t find any information on Yatsume either, so this may also be an original character. The fact that Hanagiku will be portraying this character can mean several things, but the main thing that sticks out to me is that this character may be the red herring of the story. The name of the restaurant where the characters gather is called “Yatsumedo”, so I assume she will either be the owner of the restaurant (therefor the puppeteer of the story) or something similar. She tends to play either adamantly strong characters or the deviously insane type of character… so I’m betting she’ll be doing the latter.
So, I’m currently speculating that this play might have an indirect tie-in to NieR Re[in]carnation. What do you think?
From the beginning, we have been working on development with the goal of officially starting service within 2020, but this date has been pushed back to the first half of 2021.
We deeply apologize to everyone who has been looking forward to the release. (See the official website for more details.)
Translation: [Notice About the Start of Service] We would like to inform everyone who has been waiting for the release.
From the beginning, we have been working on development with the goal of officially starting service within 2020, but this date has been pushed back to the first half of 2021. We deeply apologize to everyone who has been looking forward to the release.
Additionally, let us discuss the current development status.
Regarding the development, most of the work on Ver.1.0.0 of the game has been completed. Currently, we are focusing on preparing additional content after the service starts, stabilizing and optimizing the game so it can be played smoothly.
When the new official release date has been decided, we will inform you again.
As the first smartphone game in the “NieR” series, the management team continues to devote themselves to making a game that will “surprise” many of those who play it.
We kindly ask for your patience until the official service starts.
The NieR Re[in]carnation Management Team
Yoko Taro, the creative director, also shared the news on his Twitter in usual Yoko fashion:
Translation: Maybe I told them to fix too much, saying “fix this” and “fix that.” Now the service has been delayed until next year… But, I think it will be for the best… Please hold on a little longer…
Saito Yosuke, the NieR series producer, also mentioned the delay:
Translation: We are aware that you’ve been waiting for this, but we’d really appreciate it if you could give us a little extra time to improve the quality and debug the game further. m(__)m
And Matsukawa Daichi, the NieR Re[in]carnation director at Applibot, also mentioned it:
Translation: We’re very sorry to keep you waiting…
The development team will continue to do their best so everyone can play as soon as possible…!!
So, in terms of game development during the days of COVID, this really isn’t much of a surprise, or is it really much to worry about. Applibot makes some really nice, quality smartphone games (like BladeXlord), so I’m not really worried about this delay. We’ve just gotta wait a little bit longer until we can get our hands on the official release of the game!
Let me know what your thoughts are about the game!
