2017’s Nier: Automata, with its name that many people weren’t quite sure how to pronounce, proved to be an incredibly successful release for PlatinumGames. The action RPG that features androids, a complex story, and an incredible soundtrack went on to be nominated for and win several awards. Even five years later Nier: Automata is considered groundbreaking, and its positive reception is believed by some to have resulted in the release of Nier:Replicant ver.1.22474487139 three years later.
Nier: Automata has a thriving fan base, with many players enticed by the game’s deep and intriguing lore, interesting characters, and somewhat unique gameplay mechanics. 2B, the white-haired android that players control throughout much of the game, is considered by many to be one of the best female protagonists in an open world game. It’s no wonder, then, that some fans will go above and beyond to introduce the award-winning RPG to everybody they can.
Take as an example Twitter user Jenny09410602, who currently goes by Ennja. The self-described Drakenier (the Nier games are spin-offs and sequels to the Drakengard series) revealed on the social media site that she once had a unique tactic for getting people to purchase Nier: Automata. According to Ennja, she would meet men through her Tinder profile and constantly talk about and recommend they buy the game. Once they did, however, the self-appointed Nier: Automata PR rep would ghost them. Ennja estimates that she successfully pulled off the stunt with 22 men, who hopefully at least enjoyed the game in the end.
To uncover more about the story, Kotaku got in touch with Ennja, who revealed that she had pulled off the scheme a couple of years ago. She therefore no longer had proof that anybody had actually bought Nier: Automata due to her machinations. However, she was able to share a few screenshots of conversations with different men, some of whom had messaged that they “couldn’t believe they were about to buy a video game just to impress a girl” or similar sentiments.
The story doesn’t end there, though. Yoko Taro, the Japanese video game director and writer behind the Drakengard and Nier games, caught wind of Ennja’s exploits. In response, he tweeted simply, “Glory to mankind,” which was enough to make the Nier: Automata fan start “crying at work.” As for the motive behind her actions, in the original tweet Ennja explained that more sales of the action RPG would result in more games by Yoko Taro. Even if that doesn’t end up being the case, at least she momentarily caught the attention of the developer.
Nier: Automata and its enticing world have remained part of popular gaming culture even half a decade after its release. The game will be getting a Nintendo Switch port in October of this year, and there have been numerous crossovers with other titles, including one in February with Babylon’s Fall. And during a livestream to celebrate the game’s fifth anniversary, Square Enix announced that an anime based on Nier: Automata is currently in development.
Nier: Automata is currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. A Nintendo Switch version releases on October 6, 2022.