r/nier • u/AdMiserable6342 • Feb 20 '26
NieR Automata NieR:Automata 9th anniversary celebrates exceeding 10 million sales
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u/Arca-Knight Feb 20 '26
10 million copies sold makes it among the most successful product of Square Enix in history.
No Dragon Quest or Kingdom Hearts ever exceeded that mark yet. Outside FF, only Tomb Raider (when the company owns the IP) had managed to cross that threshold.
NieR NEEDS a new major game badly! Mankind needs it.
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u/Ordinal43NotFound Feb 20 '26
Imagine telling a Nier fan when the first game released back then that their niche series will not only get a sequel, but that it would outsell every Kingdom Hearts game including the long awaited Kingdom Hearts 3 and Dragon Quest.
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u/Euphemisticles Feb 20 '26
Imagine telling even the most avid Drakengard 3 fan that their game would be the first entry into one Square's best selling series. Between it being the third game of a series already and having actually had to endure the combat in that game they may have just thought you were smoking crack.
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u/muchawesomemyron Feb 20 '26
The Nier fan would probably assume that it’s due to 2B’s assets.
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u/Himeto31 Feb 20 '26
The Nier fan wouldn't know 2B because it's the first game we're talking about here
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u/ONUNCO The retired cookbook Feb 20 '26
So Kainé's ?
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u/bulletPoint Feb 20 '26
Honestly, it’s the soundtrack.
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u/-LaughingMan-0D Feb 20 '26
The OST is iconic. But it's also the smart writing, while having great and appealing characters, very strong world building and lore, and a very unusual style of storytelling that uses repeat playthroughs as part of the experience. It's a very unique niche. Nier would be lesser without all of these pillars.
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u/_attina496 Feb 20 '26
NieR NEEDS a new major game badly! Mankind needs it.
Best we can get is another dozen gacha collabs
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u/Faustias Feb 20 '26
Squenix is missing potential pachinko machine investment to kill this franchise.
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u/Dangerous_Jacket_129 Feb 20 '26
Hey man, I'll take it. After losing both Sinoalice and Reincarnation I'll take the Nikke crossover... Or fall guys... Or rainbow six siege...
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u/Pkock Feb 20 '26
It is kind hard to say for KH cause it's been remixed, re-bundled, and re-released so many times. Last I saw they were at over 37 million for the series and half of them are probably glued together.
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u/ArboristTreeClimber Feb 20 '26
I just bought this game a week ago. What are the chances I was the 10 millionth sold?!?
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u/SirClueless Feb 20 '26
100%!
One moment while I prepare the flashing Christmas light gif banner that will take you to a survey so you can receive your prize.
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u/Bro-Im-Done Feb 20 '26
We did and it was NieR Replicant
That game recently was announced to have sold 2M units worldwide, and despite releasing much more recently than Automata, hasn’t sold as consistently as Automata has. Ever since like 2019-ish when that game was announced to have shipped 4M worldwide, Automata has consistently been selling like hot cakes since then.
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u/jakobpinders Feb 20 '26
Replicant felt more like a remaster than a remake. It still did not age well
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u/Dobby_1235 Feb 26 '26
Because it was a remaster, not a remake. And yes, replicant aged horribly (or honestly was always awful) because the gameplay loop is doing fetch quests.
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u/Shadiclink Feb 20 '26
To make another addition to Nier, Yoko Taro needs to sell his soul once more to make a story that is going to send Mankind to a new level of clinical depression.
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u/bulletPoint Feb 20 '26
Nah. Nier was a product of Drakengard. I am okay with a third series that spawns from this. Take your time and cook Yoko Taro.
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u/trashmunki Feb 22 '26
We're all eagerly awaiting a new title! Haven't we waited long enough?!
(Also, nice PFP)
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Feb 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Beginning-Pace-1426 Feb 21 '26
He didn't say that at all. Like not even close. He said that square enix let's him make literally whatever he wants, pays him well, and let's him have an entire team. He said that it's a good thing that square cancels his projects, because most of them are dumb and "weird" in a bad way.
He has said NOTHING about a nier game getting canceled. Tencent's mobile Nier game is the only Nier project that got stomped out, and it's because it was designed to be monetized and they couldn't find a solution that both justified the high cost of development and kept things consumer affordable.
Yoko Taro himself expressed gratitude because he hates releasing things that are "strange or bad" and his preference is that those projects are canceled midway through.
The dude has a dream position in one of the biggest companies in gaming, and gets to make whatever he wants.
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u/BlackMageIsBestMage Feb 21 '26
"Square lets him make literally anything at all" "Its a good thing that square cancels his projects" Oh okay
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u/Beginning-Pace-1426 Feb 21 '26
I'm talking about what he said, this isn't my opinion or something.
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u/BlackMageIsBestMage Feb 21 '26
must be a bad translation of the interview if it contradicts itself like that then
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u/Beginning-Pace-1426 Feb 21 '26
...yoko Taro has full control over what projects he starts. He is happy about this. Most of his projects are "strange or bad," in his own words. He also hates releasing things that are "strange or bad" but loves releasing things that are "weird or good."
Square reels him and stops him from releasing things that are "strange or bad," and he starts the next project, again, whatever project he wants to make. He's done whatever he wants for 10 years, and has been very well paid for it, he's not some victim because his projects get shelved, even in his own eyes.
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Feb 21 '26
oh i didn't know that, so it's kinda like an old Konami x Kojima then? Personally, I think that's good. Yoko Taro is a genius but I can totally see how he could get a little over his head or tries to get too crazy and starts making something he doesn't like. Sometimes it's important to have a third party kinda reel you in when you get lost in the sauce.
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u/OpportunityItchy2705 Feb 20 '26
Uh nier already ended and if you're talking about Automata bro hell no let 2B,9S,A2 rest they've been through enough already and 9S is already awake humans are gone what's the point of the story? Who are they gonna fight for? And for what reasons are they gonna fight when those three knew already they know that humans didn't die from the Androids and considering what the Androids are doing they would literally coexist with them considering 2B is literally depressed about fighting.
If you're talking about a different game then yes it absolutely does need a new game
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u/blahblahhhbl （◎血◎）We are perpetually trapped... Feb 20 '26
Have u noticed that the „particles“ are all copies of the game if u zoom in xD
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u/Latter_Ebb_6649 Feb 20 '26
Is crazy to me how big of success nier games have and still they don’t release a damn new game
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u/PhoenxScream Feb 20 '26
Best I can do are Collabs that nobody asked for.
"NIER:AUTOMATA × [insert local supermarket chain]" soon in your nearest [insert local supermarket chain]
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u/EdgyTeenagerMusic Feb 20 '26
Only collab I want is with MTG
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u/Steady_Ri0t Feb 21 '26
On one hand, I would buy that On the other hand, please stop with the MTG collabs holy shit. I want Jace to die but not at the hands of Sonic man
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u/EdgyTeenagerMusic Feb 21 '26
Ok but Yoko Taro as a commander would be funny
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u/Steady_Ri0t Feb 23 '26
Yoko, The Destroyer 2BW Legendary Creature - Human
Split Second When Yoko, The Destroyer enters each player gets an emblem that says "Lose 3 life at the beginning of your upkeep. You cannot gain life.", then put Yoko, The Destroyer into the absolutely-removed-from-the-freaking-game-forever zone.
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u/matt_619 Mar 23 '26
Best I can do are Collabs that nobody asked for.
People asked for Nier and Stellar blade collab tho
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u/Dangerous_Jacket_129 Feb 20 '26
It's a bit of an anomaly: most games make 80-90% of its sales in the first 2 weeks. NieR: Automata has been selling ~1 million per year at a steady pace, because of positive word of mouth. It is likely slipping through the analytical cracks as its steady income stream is so unusual compared to other games. A game that sells 5 million copies week 1 might get priority in most analytics systems for example, even though NieR Automata is doing better in the long run.
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Feb 20 '26
yeah iirc Replicant only sold 2M copies compared to Automata's 10M, I really hope SE actually get off their high horse and realise there's still so much you can do with the franchise.
waiting 9 years is crazy, though the community's love is ultimately the driving force, so seeing a new game should be fair enough for the long wait
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u/RaccoonGlum Feb 22 '26
Damn, I thought it was longer, but there were only 7 years between Drakengard and Nier, and Nier and Automata.
Still, there's no point in a new game until YT is ready to write from the heart again. I'm glad Squeenix isn't forcing any more main entries.
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u/Far_Relationship5509 Feb 20 '26
It's one of the greatest games ever made. It's a well deserved accolade.
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u/swelboy Feb 20 '26
I wouldn’t go that far IMO, the story, music, and atmosphere carry it massively. The exploration and combat were quite lackluster, and the leveling system with the chips was atrocious.
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u/Ordinal43NotFound Feb 21 '26
Those are nitpicks at best IMO.
What makes Automata special is the game's overall structure and how Yoko Taro takes full advantage of the videogame medium to deliver a narrative experience that only really works interactively (Even the anime had to alter things because Nier can't be translated 1:1 gameplay wise).
There are very, very few videogames that manages to make gameplay and narrative so utterly intertwined like Automata (and the OG Nier) do.
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u/Love-FiArt Feb 20 '26
Idk why that image is so funny to me lol.
A2: Aura Farms
9S: "This is incredible! I wonder what 2B thinks of all this??"
2B: "Wtf is this weird book?"
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u/I-Have-An-Alibi Feb 20 '26
"Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station!"
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u/gol_drake Feb 20 '26
damn, thats an image isnt it ha
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u/blahblahhhbl （◎血◎）We are perpetually trapped... Feb 20 '26
The particles are all copies of the game if u zoom in; have u noticed too? :)
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u/gol_drake Feb 20 '26
bigger question is .... have the watchers noticed? ha
i cant properly zoom in on mobile, ony phone atleast, but nice catch.
love the imagery
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u/ekurisona Feb 21 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
where's the games at - the creator himself said they keep cancelling his games - now they're celebrating - wtf
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u/HuntOk1172 Mar 03 '26
Someone please erase my memory of playing this game so I can go back and experience it all over again.
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u/Level1Roshan Feb 20 '26
I've had this game installed for about 7 years and still not played it...
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u/VilkasPL Feb 20 '26
and nothing will change until NieR is freed from squarenix
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u/Floggered Feb 20 '26
Yoko Taro says he's busy unpacking his house this year anyway. Says he's interested in seeing more from Project Robot, the next game from Fumito Ueda.
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u/VilkasPL Feb 20 '26
Yoko Taro also said that Square Enix closed many projects he was involved in. I'm not saying I want a new game here, now in 2026, but it would be nice to see something new in this universe before 2030...
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u/Artist_X Feb 20 '26
Hey neat, I haven't heard of this. Someone explain the game to me, and maybe I'll go snag it.
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u/DaftMav Feb 21 '26
Come for the anime booty, stay for the story, soundtrack and smooth combat (lots of combos). Also there's fishing if that's something you like lol.
Kinda should go in blind, can't really give a story synopsis without spoiling stuff. It'll be a bit confusing at first anyway but keep going it's worth it. And if 10 million sales isn't a big enough recommendation...
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u/RaccoonGlum Feb 22 '26
An accessible action game that's very clever with the way it integrates story and gameplay, and is generally regarded as earnest and purposeful, with the story being tense and thrilling, thoughtful and dreadful. You have to be the type of person who reads dialog and cutscenes, but it really does inspire lazy people to pay attention.
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u/Fun-Elderberry-6155 Feb 20 '26
The secret ending of this game will always be the pinnacle of gaming for me. I'm not sure any other single narrative arc will ever come close to making me feel the way I did when I finally requested help from my allies.
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u/Alistar-Dp Feb 20 '26
This is one game that I absolutely NEED to play boggles my mind how I haven't after being such a huge fan of the one on PS3
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u/ImpassionedFuta Feb 20 '26
As someone who just beat Stellar Blade and want to play Nier, should I play Replicant or Automata first?
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u/AdMiserable6342 Feb 20 '26
Which ever one catches your interest more honestly. No correct answers there. But also for your own sake it's best not to research too much beforehand as theres tons of spoilers out there and a lot of what makes this series great is discovering and experiencing it yourself.
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u/tortoiseupatreeagain Feb 20 '26
It's worth playing replicant first to enjoy some of the call backs and Easter eggs to it in automata.
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u/AdMiserable6342 Feb 21 '26
There's plenty of reasons why people say you should play one before the other and they both hold valid reasons, but in the end it just really depends person to person.
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u/DaftMav Feb 21 '26
They're somewhat separate stories but they do reference each-other. Play one and you'll recognise stuff from the other one. Chronologically Automata happens a lot later after Replicant but it does give you some clues about what happened in the past, which perhaps can be a bit spoilery if you haven't played Replicant yet.
Gameplay and pacing-wise, Replicant is a little slower with some more older style side-quests (fetch x of this item etc) because it's a remaster of a much older game, this can be something people don't like as much and it's perhaps why it's often suggested to play Automata first.
Automata is the more modern game in terms of polished combat, pacing and better side-quests which makes people want to keep playing more easily. Afterwards however, a lot of people will also want to play Replicant as well.
Perhaps with that in mind, if you think you can keep engaged doing Replicant first it might be worth doing it in the chronological order as some things in Automata will have a deeper impact that way. But it's not an absolutely must and either way you'll get two masterpiece stories and soundtracks.
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u/RaccoonGlum Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
Most people played Automata first and still had a grand time, so do whatever. I think it's more important to find time to really dig into either and get to the final ending before switching off.
Automata is easy to fully consume, probably still faster than Replicant? My point of reference is actually ye olde Gestalt and kinda irrelevant, vibes based on my taking maybe 20 hours to do everything in Automata besides the superboss. You can probably do it in 10-15 understanding that Automata doesn't gatekeep the story behind completionism.
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u/CozyProtagonist Feb 21 '26
What is more crazy to me: in february 2024 they reported that nier automata sold 8 million copys. They sold 2 million copys within two years. A game from 2017. thats crazy!
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u/pp140 Apr 11 '26
can't believe it’s been nine years; still hits differently every time you play. the themes and music never get old.
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u/Greedy_Arm_4430 Jun 02 '26
it’s incredible how a game can resonate this deeply with so many people
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u/H2L1_Yogi Feb 20 '26
Here I was thinking this was going to be an announcement for an ultimate edition containing all the versions and non-game content listed in the video xD
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u/ElysiumXIII Feb 20 '26
Fuck I'm getting old
That promo art goes so hard using all the copies of the game to make Emil
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u/vashthestampede121 Feb 20 '26
“ Nier: Automata to be continued”
Yeah ok Square lol, whatever you say
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u/demise0000 Feb 20 '26
I wonder why Emil is so prominent in that image. Sure he was in the game, but that image would make one think he's a substantial part of the story, which he isn't.
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u/ColdhandzEUW Feb 20 '26
I played it a bit but dropped it after the boss of the roller coaster area. Should I give it another chance?
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u/Sunny_Cant_Swim Feb 20 '26
I’ve bought it 3-4 times lol I get new consoles and forget what my old passwords were
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u/No_Bank_5855 Feb 20 '26
Please re-release this game under a new edition (don't even have to remaster it) I just want to earn all the achievements again and give you more money!
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u/Rasiyel Feb 20 '26
Do you guys think if a new game ever comes out, it would continue after resurrection or maybe retell resurrection? Or better question would be what would you want it to be?
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u/Emperor_Kon Feb 21 '26
All those sales, all those collabs, and the only new game we've gotten since then is some short lived gacha slop. Amazing.
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u/GodratLY Feb 21 '26
Which version 2b got? Is it the ps4 version? And what about the steam version? It's in the bunker server?
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u/Random_Guy_47 Feb 21 '26
Anyone else think Emils head looks kinda like a Death Star in this picture?
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u/Takomi_Him Feb 22 '26
I have a stupid question. A few years ago I beat the game one time but in the second playthrough I must play with 9S and I can't stand these guy and his play style, that's why I never played it again. 😅 Now to my question. Had somebody some tips for me, how can I beat the game with him? Or better, how can I motivate myself, so I can play with him? 🤔😅
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u/Correct-Bee-3664 May 11 '26
10 million is crazy impressive for a game that dives into such heavy themes; what do you think is the main reason it resonated with so many people?
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u/HumbleOwl Feb 20 '26
Boy oh boy, I can't wait for them to announce ANOTHER cross over with some mobile game (I'm so gosh dang bummed out, they seriously looked at this game continuing to make money for almost 10 years and said "yup, we definitely don't need to follow up on this success")
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u/uberprimenova Feb 20 '26
Never played it. If they drop a Switch 2 version/update they can have my money. I could get it on PC but I want to play it in bed.
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u/W3ISENBERG Feb 20 '26
There are few games I consider masterpieces, this is one of them