Nier: Automata creators deny characters "were problematic overseas" and blame mistranslated subtitle for censorship rumours

Nier: Automata shaper Yosuke Saito and head Yoko Taro person denied that immoderate of their characteristic designs were restricted for Western audiences.

As spotted by Automaton, nan developers were compelled to remark aft a mistranslated Japanese-to-English subtitle intimated Nier: Automata had been subjected to censorship from Square Enix to meet world standards.

In nan question and reply supra (skip to 28:12 for nan conception concerned), Sony executive Yoshida Shuhei asked nan developers astir their creation process.

"Our conception is ever to do thing that's 'not for illustration thing else'. What I mean is, if Nier: Replicant had a boy arsenic nan main character, Nier: Automata would person a woman protagonist. If Western sci-fi is filled pinch Marine-like soldiers, we mightiness spell successful nan other guidance and usage Gothic Lolita outfits, for example," Taro said. "We thin to return nan contrarian route."

"There are, of course, definite things that are ethically aliases morally inappropriate – moreover if they're conscionable aspects of a character," Saito added, according to nan subtitles. "We effort to tie a statement by establishing rules astir what’s acceptable and what’s not.

"While definite things mightiness beryllium acceptable successful Japan, they could go problematic successful definite overseas regions, and moreover characters could go problematic arsenic well. These are nan benignant of situation[s] we usually effort to debar creating. As a result, location are really countries wherever we couldn't officially merchandise Nier: Automata."

This instantly caused consternation pinch fans but arsenic Automaton points out, this "could beryllium a small tricky to translate, moreover for an precocious Japanese speaker".

When asked straight astir nan claim, Taro denied it, saying connected X/Twitter: "I've ne'er heard of specified a point happening". Saito simply said he thought nan things he'd mentioned successful nan livestream had been mistranslated, and would explain this successful a early livestream.

In nan aforesaid interview, erstwhile PlayStation exec Shuhei Yoshida called Nier: Automata nan "game that changed everything", arsenic it was responsible for reviving nan Japanese games industry connected its release. In a caller interview, Yoshida discussed really during nan PS3 era, income of Japanese games had declined, and progressively studios location were chasing "overseas tastes".

That changed pinch NieR: Automata successful 2017, released for nan PS4. "I deliberation Yoko Taro created it without paying immoderate mind astatine each to making it waste overseas, but it was a tremendous success," Yoshida said.