NieR: Automatadesigner Taro Yoko is well aware of the sudden fixation some fans have with protagonist 2B’s posterior - apparently, it’s one he shares as well.
2016 was a year that featured a lot of memorable moments for video games. In a year that saw some truly breath-taking releases likeUncharted 4: A Thief’s EndandFinal Fantasy 15, however, one of the most talked about elements of video game design was inexplicably a specific part of the human anatomy - butts. TheOverwatchTracer butt controversydominated news headlines for weeks, and not too long after Blizzard announced areplacement pose for Tracer,Street Fighter 5came under fire for something similar withR. Mika’s infamous butt slap.
For those gamers who are beginning to tire of the industry’s sudden fascination with posteriors, 2017 does not appear to hold much promise. We’re barely over a week into the new year andNieR: Automatadesigner Taro Yoko has already brought butts back into the spotlight after releasing a tweet about protagonist 2B’s behind:
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Essentially, Yoko’s tweet - translated byKotaku- acknowledges the many “rude drawings” of 2B that have surfaced since gamers discovered they could view less than tasteful angles of her character model, before Yoko also implores fans to send him a zip file of those lewd images because “going around and collecting them is a pain”. That’s right -NieR: Automata’s designer wants gamers to slide into his DMs.
If the story ended there, however, it would be an amusing anecdote and a nice bit of humor from a designer attempting to defuse a situation that could escalate into controversy. Instead, however, Yoko got a taste of just how fast the internet can deliver, tweeting that “the internet is amazing” before conceding that he was sent a zip file nearly as fast as he had made the request. Yoko also stated that his mentions were completely flooded with English replies that he sadly couldn’t read - although inevitably some of them likely contained pictures, too.
While the trials and tribulations of Taro Yoko are amusing, there’s a very real possibility thatNieR: Automatawill redeem the seriesand liberate it from cult-classic status. TheNieR: AutomataPS4 demowas incredibly well-received, and many critics are praising the game’s gorgeous art direction - as long as things don’t get too carried away with 2B’s notoriety in some circles,NieR: Automatashould produce even more fan artwork, this time praising the title’s steampunk aesthetic and memorable character models.
NieR: Automatawill release in North America on July 17, 2025 for PS4, with a PC launch scheduled for sometime in 2017 as well.
