Yoko Taro, creator of Nier: Automata and one of the most prolific developers currently working in video games today, has, contrary to what many fans believe, been working on several video game projects since the release of Nier: Automata in 2017. We've just not been able to see any of the work he's been doing, because the projects he's been on have been cancelled before they made it to public viewing.
First reported by 4Gamer (and translated by Automaton), Yoko Taro set the story straight on what has become a sort of joke amongst his fans that he's not been working on games in recent years. He clarified that he's worked on several projects, though for reasons he did not or could not specify, they were cancelled before they could see the light of day.
"I often get told stuff like, 'Why aren't you making a new sequel to NeiR' or 'Yoko Taro isn't doing anything,' but that's because recently, a lot of projects I was involved in got discontinued midway through development."
"I've actually been working on some stuff, it's just that it never ended up seeing the light of day. I got paid for it, so I personally have no issues with that, but people seem to think I haven't been doing anything just because none of the work I've done is being released."
It's an unfortunate, though unsurprising, reality of the modern video game industry that even a developer like Yoko Taro can be working in the industry for years and have nothing to show for it because the game never made it to launch and most unrevealed projects are locked behind NDA's and mountains of red tape that make it appear to the outside observer that you've been doing nothing for the better part of a decade.
He further clarifies that he doesn't feel negatively about the fact that he's not had a shipped game in years, and instead implies that he'd rather not put anything out if it's not going to be exactly right. "I don't view that as a negative thing," he continued. "I believe that if I'm going to release something weird, I'd be better off not releasing anything at all."
It's also worth noting that we've had multiple reports in recent years regarding projects Yoko Taro is working on. Now, it could be that some of those projects are the cancelled ones to which he refers to here, but regardless, it seems like Yoko Taro felt strongly enough about the idea that he's been sitting on his hands for years that he felt the need to explain why we've not seen anything he's worked on recently.
It seems like we'll just have to continue being patient and hope that at least one of the things he's working on will make it into the hands of players.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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