Nine years after its release, Square Enix and PlatinumGames’ action RPG NieR: Automata is celebrating a major milestone, as the game has now sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
This announcement comes via a post on the game’s social media pages, which broke the news alongside posting not just a piece of art to mark the occasion, but also a lengthy YouTube video to recap the game’s journey throughout the years.
The six-minute-long video takes viewers through the journey of NieR: Automata, from its initial release to the multitude of spin-offs made after, including ports, stage performances, concerts, anime adaptations, and a host of collabs with other gaming titles. The zinger, however, came at the end of the video, with a cryptic tease that reads “NieR: Automata to be continued…”
While this tease is far from any confirmation of a sequel, the news is nonetheless tantalising for fans of the franchise, which hasn’t seen a proper follow-up in the nine years since NieR: Automata’s launch, not counting the 2021 remake of the original game, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139. In the same vein, it won’t be surprising if this mystery project turns out to be a remake of NieR: Automata for the modern console generation, although fans will just have to wait and see.
Released in 2017, NieR: Automata told the story of androids 2B, 9S and A2 and their battle to reclaim the machine-driven dystopia overrun by powerful machines, combining its masterful narrative and multiple endings with a fluid action combat system PlatinumGames is well-known for. The title was also a critical and commercial success, winning various awards such as Best Score/Music in The Game Awards 2017, Role-Playing Game of the Year at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, and Audience Award at the 2018 Game Developers Choice Awards, alongside being nominated for numerous others. With such a dedicated following, it’s high time 2B gets the follow-up adventure she deserves.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
