Nier creator Yoko Taro says he isn't lazy like fans think, his "weird" new projects just keep getting canceled: "It never ended up seeing the light of day"

Nier Automata director Yoko Taro — (Image credit: Square Enix)

Nier creator Yoko Taro says that, contrary to the fanbase's jokes, he has been working on games recently – it's just that they keep getting cancelled.

2017's Nier Automata took director Yoko Taro from a developer who makes cult hits (see: the original Nier and Drakengard) to superstar status. It also made the Nier franchise into the powerhouse that it is today – with Square Enix often using 2B as a mascot when it comes to crossover collabs in titles like Soul Calibur 6, Stellar Blade, and Final Fantasy 14. Usually, you'd want to strike while the iron is hot, but aside from a now-dead mobile game and a remake of the original Nier, there's hardly been a peep from the series.

This has led to fans joking that Yoko Taro hasn't been working over the years; however, that's not been the case. Speaking at the Korean video game convention G-CON 2025 (reported by Japanese site 4Gamer and translated by Automaton) Yoko Taro mentioned that he's actually been quite busy. "I often get told stuff like 'Why aren't you making a new sequel to NieR?' or 'Yoko Taro isn't doing anything,'" Yoko explains, adding that "recently, a lot of projects I was involved in got discontinued midway through development."

Yoko continues, "I've actually been working on some stuff, it's just that it never ended up seeing the light of day." Despite the multiple cancellations, Yoko says, "I personally have no issues with that," as – first off – he was still paid for the projects, and he'd rather not release something that doesn't hit.

Yoko explains, "I don't view that as a negative thing", adding, "I believe that if I’m going to release something weird, I'd be better off not releasing anything at all."