Nier series director Yoko Taro has warned fans to be wary that “nearly half” of the items purporting to be autographed by him include fake signatures.
Responding to a fan on Twitter / X who shared a snap of a signed soundtrack from Nier: Automata on sale for €200 (around $232), Taro revealed that he includes “small, unknown features” in real autographs to prevent precisely this kind of reselling.
“This autograph is a fake. I include small, unknown features in my real autographs to prevent reselling, so I can tell when one isn’t genuine,” he explained. “I’ve confirmed that nearly half of the autographs being resold are actually fake, so please don’t buy them.”
This autograph is a fake. I include small unknown features in my real autographs to prevent reselling, so I can tell when one isn’t genuine. I’ve confirmed that nearly half of the autographs being resold are actually fake, so please don’t buy them.
（◎血◎） https://t.co/yQVeoYQcfo— yokotaro (@yokotaro) October 20, 2025
What, exactly, those “features” are will likely not be known — at least not from Yoko Taro directly, I’d wager — but fans in the comments are trying to compare their autographs nonetheless, cross-referencing their cherished signatures with those known to have been signed by the revered game developer.
What’s Yoko Taro up to these days when he’s not signing things? Last year, Square Enix executive officer and Nier series producer Yosuke Saito teased an upcoming project but refused to say whether it was Nier 3.
“I’ve been talking about wanting to do something with [series director Yoko Taro] and [series composer Keiichi Okabe] for some time now,” Saito said. “I’ll have something a bit more put together to say in the not too distant future, so please stay tuned.” He than laughed: “It might be Nier, it might not be Nier. That’s about all I can say for now.”
Nier: Automata arrived in February 2017 and, while fans’ appetites were somewhat satiated with the Nier Replicant remake of the original game in 2021, Square Enix has said nothing concrete about a mainline sequel.
Hope has gone back and forward too. Saito said in November 2023 that Square Enix would definitely make another Nier at some point in Yoko’s lifetime but it wouldn’t be soon as the pair were working on a separate project. But a few months later in March 2024, Taro seemingly teased a third game through a subtle concert message.
Nier: Automata was a standout success for Square Enix thanks to strong critical reception and sales to match. In our 8/10 review, IGN said: “Nier: Automata is a great action role-playing game filled with beautiful locations and zany, fun-filled combat.”
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
