Nier: Automata (Japanese: ニーア オートマタ Hepburn: Nīa Ōtomata?, stylized as NieR:Automata) is an open-world action role-playing video…Nier: Automata (Japanese: ニーア オートマタ Hepburn: Nīa Ōtomata?, stylized as NieR:Automata) is an open-world action role-playing video game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows. The game released worldwide in 2017: it released in Japan in February, and in North America and Europe the following month. Nier: Automata is a sequel to the 2010 video game Nier, a spin-off of the Drakengard series. Set in the midst of a proxy war between machines created by otherworldly invaders and the remnants of humanity, the story follows the battles of a combat android, her companion, and a fugitive prototype. Gameplay combines role-playing elements with action-based combat and mixed genre gameplay similar to that of Nier.
Production began in 2014, with series creator Yoko Taro, producer Yosuke Saito, and composers Keiichi Okabe and Keigo Hoashi returning to their respective roles. Regular Square Enix artist Akihiko Yoshida designed the main characters. The story was based around themes similar to Yoko's earlier works, such as people's impulse to kill, while also incorporating issues such as confronting of prejudice and escaping difficult situations. The goal was to make a Nier game true to the spirit of the original, while simultaneously crafting better gameplay combat. As a project entirely new to the developers, the staff at PlatinumGames faced multiple challenges when developing its gameplay and open world environment.