Monday, October 27, 2025
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Articles by Vikki Blake

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

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

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.

Konami Revealed 3 New Silent Hill Games at Once So Fans Knew It Was 'Serious' About Resurrecting the Horror Franchise
Technology

Konami Revealed 3 New Silent Hill Games at Once So Fans Knew It Was 'Serious' About Resurrecting the Horror Franchise

Silent Hill series producer Motoi Okamoto has opened up on why Konami revealed three new Silent Hill games after a full decade of silence, saying the publisher was keen to stress to old fans and new that it was "serious" about resurrecting the flailing horror series. Reflecting on how the series has performed since Konami's inaugural Silent Hill Transmission back in October 2022, Okamoto explained how the impressive Silent Hill 2 Remake was designed with "half new, half old customers in mind" to ensure it could attract new fans to the franchise. "Three years ago, in 2022, we announced three titles: Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill f, and Silent Hill: Townfall," Okamoto explained on Twitter / X, as transcribed by Automaton. "We didn’t want to just announce a single remake to 'test the waters.' "We wanted people to feel how serious we were about reviving the series. Developing a remake and a new title simultaneously naturally involves risks, but we wanted to convey our commitment first and foremost. Only when a new game is announced can the future of a series be seen. Users won’t feel motivated to engage with an IP unless they can sense it has a future. If the company takes a wait-and-see approach, so will the players. The company needs to show how serious it is so that users can get genuinely excited. I think that’s only fair." Of all the projects revealed since that 2022 showcase — Silent Hill: The Short Message, Silent Hill 2 Remake, Silent Hill f, Silent Hill: Townfall, and media projects Silent Hill: Ascension and the upcoming movie, Return to Silent Hill — the majority have been received well by critics, fans, and new players alike, suggesting it was a gamble worth taking for the Japanese publisher. Silent Hill 2 Remake has sold 2.5 million worldwide, which pushes sales of the franchise overall to 10 million. Silent Hill f has sold 1 million copies. IGN's Silent Hill 2 Remake review returned an 8/10. We said: "Silent Hill 2 is a great way to visit – or revisit – one of the most dread-inducing destinations in the history of survival horror." Our Silent Hill f review also returned a 7/10. We said: "Silent Hill f presents a fresh new setting to explore and a fascinatingly dark story to unravel, but its melee-focussed combat takes a big swing that doesn’t quite land." 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.