Platinum Games has always operated in their own little corner of the game industry, but a string of bad reviews (for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan and Star Fox Zero) and bad luck (the cancellation of Scalebound) left the developer on the ropes earlier this year. Thankfully, their fortunes have been on the upswing in recent months thanks to the massive success of Nier: Automata.
Platinum’s Director, Hideki Kamiya, knows exactly how important Nier: Automata has been for the company’s bottom line. He recently wrote on Twitter that the game (along with it’s Director, Yoko Taro) saved the developer:
Nier’s success gave Platinum a different fan base, as well as a growing staff, a successful experience, an increased number of excellent employment candidates and immense benefits. Originally, I tried to do everything myself. It is a sad story, but Platinum was saved by Yoko-san. I can not thank him enough.
Nier: Automata was released for the PC and PS4 by Square Enix this Spring, and it’s an action RPG that features advanced cyborgs battling for control of Earth against a race of invading aliens. Even though it’s a sequel to a spinoff of a forgotten franchise, Nier: Automata’s distinctive visuals and wild universe resonated with gamers.
Platinum Games is currently hard at work on Granblue Fantasy: Project Re-Link for the PS4. A Western release for the game has yet to be announced.