Nier mastermind Yoko Taro has created plenty of outstanding games during his career, but that doesn't mean he thinks he'd be able to tackle today's "fiercely competitive" indie market, as he reckons he'd be "instantly wiped out."
Speaking in a recent interview with Automaton, Yoko reacts to Homura Hime – a new indie action game from Crimson Dusk that's inspired by the Nier series. As well as sharing plenty of praise for the game itself, he goes on to discuss the indie scene more widely, as the Crimson Dusk devs ask him if it's something he's interested in.
"To be honest, today's indie game market is full of young, energetic developers like the Homura Hime team, and it's a fiercely competitive red ocean," he responds. "It's honestly too intimidating for me to even think of entering that sea."
He continues, noting that "it's way too scary, and I don't really see a reason for myself to go there now. I feel like I'd be instantly wiped out – it's not something an old man like me should be attempting. That's how I see it."
The Crimson Dusk team agrees that "the indie game scene is definitely really tough right now, and we're also trying our best not to get swept away by the waves." They add: "But we still think you're amazing, Yoko-san, and would love to see you try making something in that space too."
Even though Yoko may sound reluctant, however, when asked if he'd take on an indie project if he was given both a relaxed schedule and budget, he sounds a bit more willing to give it a go.
"I don't really have strong preferences about scale, so if that kind of job came my way, I'd probably do it," he admits. "My personal preferences and the actual work I end up doing are often different, so in principle I don't turn down jobs that come to me. If someone said, 'Make a small game on a small budget like an indie,' I'd just say 'OK' and do my best to make it happen. However, I do feel it's necessary to be conscious of how it will differ from other products on the market and think about how to compensate for that."
Will we ever see an indie game from Yoko, then? That seemingly depends on if he's directly asked to make one, but it doesn't sound like it's something he plans to seek out himself.
Nier: Automata creator Yoko Taro sees it "as a form of respect" when devs "say outright that they copied" his action RPG, but he's not sure "how Square Enix would feel about that."
