Video Games
Upgraded Version of ‘NieR Replicant’ Announced For PS4, Xbox One and PC
So, remember that website that went up for NieR‘s 10th anniversary? Turns out that as part of the celebration, we’ll be getting an upgraded version of the first game that the West never got back in 2010, NieR Replicant!
The game was revealed through a teaser trailer that consisted of concept art and text. No release date was given, but the title will be coming to the PS4, Xbox One and Steam. The series’ mainstays in director Yoko Taro, composer Keiichi Okabe, and Square Enix producer Yosuke Saito will be in charge of the project, with Toylogic handling development — a studio that previously assisted in the development of The Evil Within.
Speaking with Famitsu, according to Saito, NieR Replicant isn’t being considered a remake or remaster, but a “version upgrade.” New additions/changes to the original game include:
- a re-recorded soundtrack, including new songs
- new elements for returning players
- a new character
- fully-voiced dialogue, though it’s not known if this is strictly for the Japanese version
Also announced was NieR Re[in]carnation for iOS and Android. It is produced by Yosuke Saito, directed by Yoko Taro, developed by Applibot, and features character design by Akihiko Yoshida, with concept art by Kazuma Koda.
NieR originally launched in Japan as two separate titles back in April 2010. Replicant was released on the PlayStation 3, while the Xbox 360 received a version dubbed Gestalt, which became the only form of the game the West would receive on either platform. Both games followed the same story outline, but on different timelines, and with different versions of its protagonist, Nier.
The sequel, the Platinum Games-developed NieR: Automata, launched for PlayStation 4 in February 2017, PC in March 2017, and Xbox One in June 2018.
Overshadowing the announcement of Ninja Theory’s third entry in the Hellblade series earlier this month were reports that the developer was facing possible closure by Microsoft, alongside South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games and Double Fine. Now according to a new story by GamesBeat, another developer under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella is potentially facing closure in Undead Labs, who are currently working on State of Decay 3.
Earlier this month, new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma had announced that Microsoft was in the process of ‘resetting’ Xbox. That resulted in a report by Bloomberg during Summer Game Fest that revealed that multiple developers were negotiating with Microsoft to spin off of Xbox to avoid closing down. Now, according to the GamesBeat report, Undead Labs is now part of that group of developers negotiating to be bought to avoid layoffs.
The article states that Undead Labs could lose 110 jobs if it were shut down, while Compulsion could lose 90 jobs, Ninja Theory could lose 135 jobs, and Double Fine Productions could lose 100 jobs.
Other developers and publishers at Microsoft also reportedly face cuts, including Blizzard, id Software and Bethesda.
Undead Labs was acquired by Microsoft back in 2018, with State of Decay 3 being announced in 2020. News on the development of the game was quiet until 2024, when a new trailer was released. Updates on the game again were hard to come by until last January when then-Xbox Game Studios lead Craig Duncan revealed that development was still very much alive. That was followed up this month with an official announcement that State of Decay 3 would be coming next year to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store.