While the announcement reveals the official name and confirms the existence of the anime, it doesn’t provide any more details except the confirmation of two fan-favorite androids making their way into the anime series from the game - 2B and 9S.
Many players were confused about the ‘Ver1.1a’ in the anime title. Yoko Taro, the game director, clarified the confusion. He stated that the affix used simply differentiates between the game and the anime stories. “The anime title has the affix ‘Ver 1.1a’ because Nier: Automata was a story we created to be a game, so copying it as is wouldn’t make an interesting story for an anime. So I brought up the idea of changing things around,” said Taro during the broadcast. The series is set to be produced by a well-known anime studio, A-1 Pictures. A-1 Pictures is responsible for some highly-acclaimed animes, including video game anime adaptations such as Persona 4: The Golden Animation and Ace Attorney anime from 2016. It is safe to assume that the anime adaptation of this popular video game is in safe hands. In addition, the anime will be directed by Ryouji Masuyama, also known for directing hit animes like the Blend S, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Great Pretender, and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Parallel Works. One of the main concerns that the fans have about the anime adaptation is how much it will differ from the original game. Any worries can be put to rest thanks to a statement by Taro, though: “We want to make as few changes as possible,” Taro replied to one of the executives from the anime production company. This information suggests that the storyline might not sway so much as disregarding the original game story plot. Production companies tend to deviate from the actual storyline of the games through their creative processes. However, in this case, Taro and the animation studio have come to a mutual understanding which may bear fruitful for both parties. In any case, the anime series is sure to deliver both visually and audibly. We can’t forget how beautiful the soundtrack is in the original game, and we don’t expect anything less from the anime adaptation of the game.
