As I write this from the United States on March 31, it's already April 1 in many parts of the world. That means here at IGN, we're on high alert for potential pranks—fake stories, playful company antics, and the like. Most of what I've seen today has been harmless fun, but one particular tease has me on edge. I'm talking about this post:
【NieR 新プロジェクト 制作血定】虚無に生まれるは、希望か。それとも、救済という名の絶望か。━━━Coming Soon...... pic.twitter.com/nBdtqQEF12
This hints at a Nier project titled Nier: Cosmic Horror. While fans might hope this signals a new game, longtime followers know better than to get their hopes up. We've been down this road before.
Square Enix and series director Yoko Taro have a history of teasing Nier projects that turn out to be anything but a full-fledged game. Over the years, they've announced concert tours, books, stage plays, an anime, comics, crossover events, and cryptic lore drops that led nowhere. Don't get me wrong—these offerings are often fantastic. The Nier universe is rich enough to support diverse media, and I've personally enjoyed experiences like the Nier orchestra concert. I also appreciated Nier: Reincarnation, a mobile sequel to Automata that shut down in April 2024. Yet, none of these satisfy the core desire for a new AAA console or PC game, a request fans have made for nearly a decade.
So, what is Cosmic Horror? It could be any of the non-game projects I mentioned or something entirely new and quirky. We already know another orchestra tour is scheduled for this year, featuring fresh episodic story content. It might even tie into a recent video chat between Yoko Taro and The Weeknd, for reasons unknown.
Of course, it could all be an April Fool's joke. Many companies have moved away from elaborate fake-outs after seeing fans get genuinely excited—and then disappointed—by joke announcements. However, Square Enix and the Nier team aren't above toying with their audience. If this turns out to be a prank revealed on April 2, I wouldn't be shocked. On the other hand, as fans on the Nier subreddit note, announcing something significant on April Fool's Day is exactly the kind of eccentric move Yoko Taro would pull. That leaves us in a familiar state: confused, a bit frustrated, and craving more Nier.
Personally, I'm desperate for a new Nier video game. Automata sold 10 million copies, making a sequel a logical move, and Yoko Taro has mentioned his efforts to start new projects, even if they often get canceled. But after so many letdowns, I'm not holding my breath. Until I see actual gameplay on an official channel on a non-April 1 date, I'll assume this is just another tease. For now, I'll just turn up the volume on Weight of the World and shed a few more tears over it.
