How Nier: Automata took inspiration from a Coca-Cola campaign

Nier: Automata is an action role-playing game starring angsty and sexy robots. Coca-Cola is a delicious, carbonated beverage. You wouldn’t think that the game would be able to take inspiration from the soda, but that’s exactly what happened, according to Nier: Automata director Yoko Taro during a talk today at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco.

Coca-Cola installed machines in Lahore, Pakistan and New Delhi, India, two cities unfriendly with each other. These special Coke machines would connect people via live-streaming video, hoping that they can forgo their hatreds and just enjoy a drink.