Although director Daichi Matsukawa admits that mobile games often don't garner much traction in the West, he believes that NieR Reincarnation is just as strong a title as its predecessors. Reincarnation represents the second time in the franchise's history that two titles were released in the same year. The last time was the dual release of NieR Gestalt and Replicant, and with Replicant ver.1.22474487139… releasing earlier this year, the games are reaching an esteemed level of attention.
Reincarnation is set to take place in the NieR universe, but its connection to previous titles NieR Replicant and NieR Automata is mostly described as adjacent, rather than being a sequel or prequel to the other two. The other NieR games detail a universe in which humanity has fallen to a mysterious illness, and human façades like shells and robots rise to take their place in a melancholy after-earth. NieR Automata gained critical success and raised awareness for the franchise in the west, even getting character-inspired skins in Fall Guys.
However, in an interview with IGN, director Daichi Matsukawa said that he doesn't believe the same success will extend to the first mobile entry in the franchise, at least outside of Japan. Reincarnation's servers go live in the West later today. From the interview, the new NieR game is being developed with a similar mindset to its console cousins, and a goal of equivalent quality despite the game's smaller team and budget. Not only that, but Matsukawa promises that its development team will take advantage of the mobile atmosphere to provide Reincarnation with frequent updates. All this is to give those few Western players expected to play the game a worthwhile experience.
Matsukawa's fear that people in the West have less appreciation for mobile titles is not entirely unfounded. Despite more people having access to smartphones than consoles, mobile games have much shorter lifespans, as demonstrated by the recent announcement that Dr. Mario World will be shutting down. And because "app games" of that kind are usually expected to release for free, developers must rely on in-game advertisements or microtransactions to make money, neither of which are particularly beloved by avid gamers. NieR Reincarnation has already been announced to feature gacha mechanics in that very same microtransaction model. While there are some niche cases of massive popularity for mobile games like Among Us, that game didn't gather as much acclaim on mobile until it was released on PC and consoles.
The decision to give Reincarnation "console quality" is probably a good one with the high standards of Western players in mind. With the backing of a popular, albeit eccentric franchise, NieR Reincarnation might be able to enjoy a dedicated player base from other titles that bear its namesake. And now could be an especially good time to release the game in the West, as NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… became a bestseller on Steam in April this year. After mobile players get a first look at the game, their reviews will tell whether the extra thought the developers put into NieR Reincarnation will make it a long-term favorite.
NieR Reincarnation launches today on iOS and Android.
Source: IGN