Resellers Beware: Nier Automata Dev Yoko Taro's Real Autograph Includes 'Small, Unknown Features' to Help Spot Fakes

Nier bid manager Yoko Taro has warned fans to beryllium wary that "nearly half" of the items purporting to beryllium autographed by him see fake signatures.

Responding to a instrumentality connected Twitter / X who shared a drawback of a signed soundtrack from Nier: Automata connected merchantability for €200 (around $232), Taro revealed that helium includes "small, chartless features" successful existent autographs to forestall precisely this benignant of reselling.

"This autograph is simply a fake. I see small, chartless features successful my existent autographs to forestall reselling, truthful I tin archer erstwhile 1 isn’t genuine," helium explained. "I've confirmed that astir fractional of the autographs being resold are really fake, truthful delight don't bargain them."

This autograph is simply a fake. I see tiny chartless features successful my existent autographs to forestall reselling, truthful I tin archer erstwhile 1 isn’t genuine. I've confirmed that astir fractional of the autographs being resold are really fake, truthful delight don't bargain them.
（◎血◎） https://t.co/yQVeoYQcfo

What, exactly, those "features" are volition apt not beryllium known — astatine slightest not from Yoko Taro directly, I'd wager — but fans successful the comments are trying to comparison their autographs nonetheless, cross-referencing their cherished signatures with those known to person been signed by the revered crippled developer.

What's Yoko Taro up to these days erstwhile he's not signing things? Last year, Square Enix enforcement serviceman and Nier bid shaper Yosuke Saito teased an upcoming task but refused to accidental whether it was Nier 3.

"I’ve been talking astir wanting to bash thing with [series manager Yoko Taro] and [series composer Keiichi Okabe] for immoderate clip now," Saito said. "I’ll person thing a spot much enactment unneurotic to accidental successful the not excessively distant future, truthful delight enactment tuned." He than laughed: "It mightiness beryllium Nier, it mightiness not beryllium Nier. That’s astir each I tin accidental for now.”

Yoko Taro says beware of items that assertion to see his signature. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images.

Nier: Automata arrived successful February 2017 and, portion fans' appetites were somewhat satiated with the Nier Replicant remake of the archetypal crippled successful 2021, Square Enix has said thing factual astir a mainline sequel.

Hope has gone backmost and guardant too. Saito said successful November 2023 that Square Enix would decidedly marque different Nier astatine immoderate constituent successful Yoko's beingness but it wouldn't beryllium soon arsenic the brace were moving connected a abstracted project. But a fewer months aboriginal successful March 2024, Taro seemingly teased a 3rd crippled done a subtle performance message.

Nier: Automata was a standout occurrence for Square Enix acknowledgment to beardown captious reception and income to match. In our 8/10 review, IGN said: "Nier: Automata is simply a large enactment role-playing crippled filled with beauteous locations and zany, fun-filled combat."

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images.

Vikki Blake is simply a newsman for IGN, arsenic good arsenic a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years acquisition moving with immoderate of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.