It doesn’t come as a surprise, but NieR: Automata has once again reached an incredible sales milestone. More specifically, the action RPG has sold an impressive five million copies since its release last February 2017. Developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix, NieR: Automata was initially released on the PC and PlayStation 4 before getting an Xbox One port in 2018.
For the past couple of years, the NieR franchise in its entirety has turned into quite a marvel in the industry, which is quite different from the cult classic status of 2010’s Nier, the forerunner of NieR: Automata. The series grew so popular that it extended to other adaptations outside of its video game medium, including an orchestra concert, a myriad of dolls and figures, as well as book adaptations.
That being said, it’s worth noting that NieR: Automata has also greatly contributed to how much the franchise has grown as well. After all, NieR: Replicant, which is an enhanced edition of the initial game in the series, wouldn’t have been developed if PlatinumGames didn’t make the effort of reviving the franchise and turning NieR: Automata into a massive hit.
According to the official Twitter account of the NieR Series, NieR: Automata still continues to climb the ladder of success. The game may have been released more than three years ago, but copies of the action-RPG still continue to sell to this day. As a matter of fact, the beloved title was able to sell over five million units on a global scale for both physical and digital copies.
We never quite realized… how beautiful this world is.#NieR:Automata has shipped and digitally sold over five million copies worldwide.
Thank you, everyone. pic.twitter.com/AzICS3LYis
— NieR Series (@NieRGame) December 24, 2020
The sales update before this most recent one was revealed during Tokyo Game Show 2020, which took place in September. During that time, there were 4.85 million copies sold overall since launch. So, the fact that a game released nearly four years ago was able to sell 150,000 copies within three months is most definitely an impressive feat.
What’s even more exciting is the fact that the producer of the NieR franchise, Yosuke Saito, once said “I’m sure we’ll do something when we reach five million units.” We’re not sure if he will remain true to his words or if he was just teasing, but only time will tell.
At the moment of writing, both Square Enix and PlatinumGames haven’t made any celebratory announcements, but it’s most likely too early to tell. There’s enough time for the developer and publisher to reveal any major announcement in the future, especially since the release date of NieR Replicant is almost upon us. Although this time around, Toylogic is the one responsible for this upcoming remaster and not PlatinumGames.
In the meantime, developer PlatinumGames has several other projects keeping it busy. For one thing, the development of Babylon’s Fall is currently ongoing, which is another game that’s going to be published by Square Enix.
Not only that, Hideki Kamiya, who is the director of Bayonetta, recently confirmed that Bayonetta 3’s development is still ongoing and on track. In addition, Kamiya is also working on another project that’s tentatively called Project G.G., which is a superhero title that is reportedly starting to move forward in its development as well.
