NieR: Automata is Getting a Short Story Collection in 2019

It doesn’t seem likely we’ll be getting a sequel to NieR: Automata, despite how well it sold and was received. It’s not as if there couldn’t be one (at least, some of the endings are open enough to allow a sequel), it’s just that the game doesn’t really need one. It told the story it wanted to tell and I think everyone is happy to let gaming’s number one sad androids get some much-needed peace and quiet. That said, the world of NieR: Automata was a beautiful and poignant one, so it makes sense that you might want to learn more about it and give it another visit.

Fortunately, series writers Yoko Taro and Jun Eishima have just the thing: Nier: Automata. Short Story Long.

Nier: Automata. Short Story Long isn’t a direct novelization of the game, of course, but rather a collection of short stories that take place in the same universe that will flesh out the story and give us some more delicious details about the Androids, the machines, and the kind of world they inhabit. On top of some new short stories, we’ll finally get official translations of old ones as well, for example the Flame of Prometheus, which tells the story of an abandoned robot who slowly puts itself back together and tries to escape the underground. And while none of the stories will spoil the games, players will likely recognize little Easter eggs, so you’ll have something to look forward to on that front.

And yes, you read that right: official translation. Viz will be taking the Japanese text and bringing it to an English speaking audience. And we can expect to see the final product come 2019.

So yes, I am very, very interested in this little project, and I can’t wait for it to come out.