Nine Years Ago, Square Enix Released One of the Best Narrative Video Games of All Time

With 2025 being one of the best years for video game releases (and one of the hardest for the industry), 2026 has had a relatively slow start, outside of the recent Xbox crisis. Luckily, Resident Evil Requiem will be released in just a few days for survival horror fans. Today, however, is a special anniversary for Square Enix.

Today, February 23, 2026, is the ninth anniversary of the Japanese release of Nier: Automata, a game that would go on to serve as a benchmark and an inspiration for what video game writing and narratives could be.

Nier: Automata is the sequel to the original Nier, which also saw a remaster released in 2021 called Nier Replicant. The game follows androids 2B, 9S, and A3 during a war between alien-created machines and the human-created androids. The game was developed by PlatinumGames, probably best known for their hack-and-slash action games, Ninja Gaiden 4, the Bayonetta series, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

The game received almost universally positive reception upon its release, with many critics and fans taking particular note of its story, writing, themes, and narrative design. According to Metacritic, the game is sitting at a metascore of 88.

Nier: Automata was written by Yoko Taro, Hana Kikuchi, and Yoshiho Akabane. Taro would also serve as the game's director. The game's story explores deep philosophical and existential topics, such as finding value in life and the reasons people choose to kill others.

Recently, it was confirmed by Square Enix in an announcement video from February 20, 2026, that Nier: Automata has sold over 10 million copies since its release. Additionally, the video teased that "Nier: Automata to be continued..." However, there has not yet been an official confirmation on what that means, whether it's a sequel, spin-off, new DLC, or something else entirely.

Nier: Automata's unique narrative design, which requires several playthroughs to complete and changes the perspective of the narrative to different characters, would go on to serve as inspiration for future games focused on narrative, like last year's Silent Hill f, which also required multiple playthroughs to fully experience the game's story.

Nier: Automata is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.