Yoko Taro Reveals He Has Been Working on Multiple Projects, but Most Were Cancelled Before Release

Yoko Taro, the visionary creator behind Nier Automata and one of the industry’s most distinctive creative voices, has clarified a long standing misconception about his recent output. Despite the recurring joke among fans that he has not been making games since the 2017 release of Nier Automata, Yoko Taro confirmed that he has in fact been working consistently on multiple projects. The reason we have not seen anything is far more unfortunate most of these projects were cancelled during development.

The information comes from a new interview reported by 4Gamer, where Yoko Taro explained the situation with refreshing honesty. He addressed the common comments he hears from fans “Why aren’t you making a new sequel to Nier” and “Yoko Taro isn’t doing anything,” emphasizing that the perception does not reflect reality.

“I often get told stuff like ‘Why aren’t you making a new sequel to Nier’ or ‘Yoko Taro isn’t doing anything,’ but that’s because recently, a lot of projects I was involved in got discontinued midway through development,” he said.

“I’ve actually been working on some stuff, it’s just that it never ended up seeing the light of day. I got paid for it, so I personally have no issues with that, but people seem to think I haven’t been doing anything just because none of the work I’ve done is being released.”

His comments shed light on a harsh but common reality of modern game development. Even highly respected creatives can spend years on projects that never reach the public eye due to cancellations, corporate restructuring, budget shifts, or decisions made far above the developer’s level. NDAs and internal confidentiality rules mean that the public often interprets silence as inactivity, even when someone is working full time.

Yoko Taro made it clear that he does not view these cancellations negatively. In fact, his perspective aligns with his long standing creative philosophy “I don’t view that as a negative thing. I believe that if I’m going to release something weird, I’d be better off not releasing anything at all.”

It’s also worth remembering that several reports over the years have suggested he was working on unannounced projects at Square Enix. Some of these could very well be among the cancelled titles he is referring to. Regardless, the developer acknowledged that he felt the need to address the misconception that he has been inactive for nearly a decade.

For now, fans hoping for a new release from Yoko Taro will have to continue exercising patience. His dedication to ensuring a game is truly worth releasing suggests that whatever eventually does make it to market will carry the same creative boldness that made Nier Automata a global success.

What do you think about Yoko Taro’s comments? Do you believe one of his unrevealed projects will eventually surface? Share your thoughts with us.