Nier Reincarnation Devs 'Don't Expect Too Much' from the West, But Say It's a Console-Quality Game

Nier Reincarnation - the first mobile title in what has become one of Square Enix’s most successful series - will finally release in the West today. However, according to producer Yosuke Saito, the Japanese publisher does not expect huge numbers for the Western release.

“To be honest, we don’t expect too much from the mobile game market in the West. We just hope that for those who are interested in this game, it will function as a great opportunity to get familiar with Nier,” Saito told IGN.

According to Saito, Nier Reincarnation was developed with the same mindset as a console title, and he has confidence that the series’ appeal will become clear to those who decide to give it a try. Director Daichi Matsukawa said that he believes games developed for smartphone devices are not always fully understood in the West.

“In order to get Western players to accept [mobile games], I think it is important that we develop games of the same quality as console games, while at the same time utilizing the strength of mobile games by implementing frequent updates. This is not just a Nier title that can be casually played, but one that will keep evolving day by day,” Matsukawa said.

That being said, when asked how various Nier worlds are linked together for this title, series creator Yoko Taro answered by saying: “It is linked so that Square Enix can make money through gacha,” referring to a microtransaction mechanic popular in Japanese mobile games.

While of course Yoko’s comment can be taken as a joke (as many of his comments are), the game does indeed come with a gacha mechanic. However, in previous interviews Nier's creator has mentioned that he believes the game is so well made that players won’t realize it’s a mobile game.

It won’t take long until we can see for ourselves whether Nier Reincarnation is truly a title of console quality or not, as it will be available on iOS and Android starting later today.

Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. His favorite mobile games are Florence and Fantasian.