Yoko Taro Says Fewer “Weird People” Are Left in Gaming: “I Feel There’s Less ‘weird people’ Now”
Yoko Taro, the mind behind games like NieR: Automata and Drakengard, recently shared his thoughts about the current state of the gaming world. He thinks there aren’t as many “weird” people working in the industry as there used to be. This came up after a fan sent him a question on X, asking whether the game world is still full of unusual or eccentric creators.
Taro responded by saying, “I feel there’s less ‘weird people’ now. I don’t know if this is something simply happening in my field of view, if the game industry ended up like this, or if the whole world is like this now.”
Taro is known for doing things differently. He often wears a big mask in public appearances and makes games that focus more on unique ideas than on fitting into popular trends. He once described his own work as “Weird Games for Weird People.” His games may not follow the usual formula, but they’ve built a strong fanbase over the years.
He has talked in the past about how important it is for creators to go against the norm. Instead of copying what other developers are doing, Taro says his team often chooses a completely different path. In one example, he said that while other sci-fi games may feature soldiers in bulky gear, he prefers characters with more unusual designs, like Gothic-inspired outfits. “We tend to take the contrarian route,” he explained.
Taro has also praised other developers who think differently, such as Fumito Ueda, the creator of ICO. He believes that these kinds of people bring new ideas to the industry and shape the future of gaming in interesting ways.
ゲーム業界に３０年いるんですが、「変な人」は減った気がしますね。
— yokotaro (@yokotaro) June 16, 2025
単に僕の見ている範囲の現象なのか、ゲーム業界がそうなったのか、世の中全体がそうなのかはよくわかりませんが。 pic.twitter.com/xkueiPlrtB
However, if fewer creative risk-takers are entering the field, Taro wonders what that means for the future of games. He’s mentioned before that, with the rise of AI, developers might one day struggle to earn a living and could end up like artists who travel from place to place without much support. Though he doesn’t say this will definitely happen, it shows that he’s concerned about where things are heading.
From my point of view, we need more developers like Yoko Taro—people who aren’t afraid to take chances and try something new. Even if their games don’t always follow the rules, they bring fresh ideas and keep gaming exciting.
What do you think? Is the game industry becoming too predictable? Should developers keep making bold and strange games? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
