Hideki Kamiya: NieR director "saved" PlatinumGames

According to Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya, the efforts of the director of NieR: Automata "saved" PlatinumGames from financial bankruptcy.

Yoko Taro created the original NieR with his studio Cavia, with Square Enix as its publisher. Cavia ceased trading after the game received a mixed reception, but NieR gradually established something of a cult status among players, ultimately leading to its sequel, NieR: Automata, being developed by Taro at PlatinumGames.

Reflecting on the success of NieR: Automata, Kamiya tweeted: "NieR's success has to this point given Platinum a new fanbase, a growing staff, a brilliant success story, an increase in qualified job applicants, and a great benefit.

"Normally, I can't help but do everything by myself... it's a pitiful story, but to say that Yoko-san saved Platinum would not be an exaggeration. I cannot thank him enough."

The tweet was initially translated by NeoGaf user BRSxIgnition.

PlatinumGames faced challenging times after the cancellation of Scalebound by Microsoft. PlatinumGames was already working on NieR: Automata at the time, which has apparently enjoyed enough success to bring PlatinumGames back from the brink of closure.

Previously, PlatinumGames had been frank about its disappointment around the sales of its games. NieR Automata, however, was to clear sales of at least 1.5 million digitally, meaning the efforts of Taro - famous for obscuring his identity behind a large mask - are likely to be greatly appreciated across the studio's staff.