The Story Behind NieR: Automata's Many Endings
We tend to hear people criticize games based on how much "stuff" is crammed in there. More content, better game, right. It's a popular, if somewhat simplistic, way of thinking, even outside of gaming.
Well, here's a bit of fascinating trivia on the beloved NieR: Automata. Gamers adore the game for its distinct ambiance, silky smooth combat thanks to PlatinumGames, its memorable character roster (and design), and, naturally, its sheer quantity of different endings – all 26 of them.
During a recent interview celebrating the 15th anniversary of the original NieR, the notoriously unconventional creator of the series, Taro Yoko, dropped a bombshell. It so happens that the enormous quantity of endings in Automata wasn't exactly his own wacky brainchild.
Square Enix Wanted More Bang for the Buck
As Yoko puts it, while the concept of so many endings was sparked by his work on Drakengard previously, pressure to deliver so many of them in fact originated from publisher Square Enix. Their reaction. Merely: "add more content". And so that legendary journey through endings A to Z was partly the product of a publisher's request for more playtime.
Yoko also shared a funny anecdote from the making of the original NieR. He allegedly tried to keep the surprise mechanic of wiping the player's save file from the producer, Yosuke Saito. When Saito finally caught on, he didn't complain, misunderstanding it as some reference to Dragon Quest. Goes to show the unique creative freedom (and perhaps misunderstandings) in development.
From Cult Classic to Blockbuster
It's hard to believe that the original NieR, released 15 years ago (April 22nd) on PS3 and Xbox 360, was initially a cult game. It rested on a pedestal for years as a cult classic cherished by a devoted few. But the runaway success of NieR: Automata in 2017 catapulted it into the spotlight as the whole series' break, shining the spotlight on the whole series.
Knowing the history behind the endings only serves to add another layer to the fascinating world of NieR.
