“It Saved The Japanese Video Game Industry” – Former Playstation President
PlatinumGames’ NieR: Automata might be more important than anyone realized—former PlayStation president Shuhei Yoshida suggests it could have saved the Japanese video game industry.
In the words of former PlayStation president Shuhei Yoshida, NieR: Automata helped Japanese developers rediscover their cultural strength—freeing them from over-reliance on Western approval. Without it, Japan’s gaming identity might have faded entirely.
“With NieR, everyone realized,” he explained, “It wasn’t just about accepting mediocrity, but embracing the conviction—‘This is the only way we must do it.’ Japanese creators stopped imitating the West and began crafting games rooted in their own culture, trusting that the world would appreciate their vision.
