Nier’s Yosuke Saito: Sequel had 6 months to impress or we would ‘scrap it’

LOS ANGELES — Nier’s new partnership with Platinum made it happen.

Square Enix announced a Nier sequel yesterday at its Electronic Entertainment Expo press briefing, surprising fans that has been left waiting for some kind of response from the company after the role-playing game series debut more than five years ago. Given that the original title didn’t sell well, it makes sense that a return to the franchise would be under some scrutiny. The company tapped Bayonetta developer Platinum Games to head up development for the relaunch. But executive producer Yosuke Saito and game director Taro Yoko revealed to GamesBeat yesterday (through a translator) that he put the project on a trial basis, and that it would have been canceled if it didn’t meet expectations.