Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 752: The Discussion Level of Artificial Intelligence

NieR: Automata was really just the appetizer.

Following its release, Final Fantasy: Crisis Core was also launched during the same period—and it, too, ended in tragedy.

Two games in a row with heartbreaking endings... players might actually fall into depression.

But sometimes, it's precisely the imperfect endings that leave the deepest impressions.

Especially with NieR: Automata, the tragic ending elevates the story beyond its structure—it gives it soul.

Then Takayuki asked, "Any detailed updates on the off-game discussions?"

"Yes," the lead developer nodded. "As per your instructions, we've been tracking the rising interest in topics like 'artificial intelligence' and 'androids.' A lot of people have started taking the subject seriously."

Takayuki nodded. "Good."

The developer hesitated, then asked, "President, why are we so focused on these topics? Are they really that useful for games?"

Takayuki shook his head. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. I just want to see what kind of detailed discussions people are having about them."

In NieR: Automata, Takayuki had added a bit of his personal touch.

In his original world, AI was already a popular topic in both tech and culture.

That world had The Matrix, Blade Runner, and other classic dystopian sci-fi stories centered around artificial intelligence.

Those were the cultural cornerstones of Takayuki's time.

But in this world, he noticed people didn't really talk about such things.

Most attention was focused on current tech—there was far less speculation or artistic exploration of the future like in his original world.

While this world's cultural industries were generally well-developed, they seemed to lack that defining theme: AI and dystopian sci-fi that provokes deeper human reflection.

Takayuki wasn't sure why.

But since the interest didn't exist here, he decided to create it himself.

Whether or not people would engage in such discussions, he didn't know.

Still, perhaps because of the lack of prior exposure, NieR: Automata's themes of AI and consciousness stood out even more to the public.

And according to analytics, the general feedback around AI and android-related discussions was very positive.

Even professionals from the field stepped forward to explain technical concepts related to AI.

Takayuki had, in a way, smuggled ideas from his original world into this one—embedding them as background lore in the game. The level of detail made many experts believe that Gamestar must have hired real AI professionals as consultants.

The more Gary, the AI researcher and gamer, played NieR: Automata, the more attached he became to its characters.

Not just 2B and the androids on her side—he even liked the antagonists, Adam and Eve.

The idea that machines would start seeking emotions similar to humans... that was rare in game design.

Gary had once discussed with colleagues the hypothetical future where AI might surpass humans, turning humanity into the ones being studied instead of the other way around.

In NieR, even the low-level enemy robots weren't mindless.

They evolved—some developed anti-war ideals, some enjoyed celebrations, some even fell in love.

These concepts were deeply creative and fascinating.

Gary began noting down every bit of it. He planned to study these scenarios later, to see if any held real-world potential.

But before long, he stopped caring about the technical aspects entirely.

Because the story took a sudden turn.

Major secrets began to unravel.

It was revealed that humanity had actually gone extinct thousands of years ago—something Gary had half-expected.

But what came after caught him completely off guard.

At the end of the first playthrough, 9S sacrificed himself—seemingly completing a satisfying and emotional ending.

Gary didn't take a break. He immediately dove into a second playthrough.

Normally, in games with multiple endings, a second run just tweaks the story slightly and adds a new conclusion.

It's often considered a lazy but acceptable method. As long as there's a new ending, players are usually happy to play again.

But NieR: Automata was different.

The second playthrough didn't even start with 2B.

Instead, it opened with a simple enemy grunt—a tin-can-like robot.

"Brother... Brother, please wake up..."

Gary's eyes widened.

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An ordinary enemy robot showing familial emotion?

He quickly regained composure. The game had already delivered so many surprises, this was just one more.

He began controlling the robot, searching for fuel—hoping that bringing fuel back would "revive" his lifeless "brother."

Gary was genuinely moved.

Just this brief prologue added a whole new dimension to the game.

This wasn't just a fan-service game at all.

If every fan-service game had storytelling like this, Gary would buy every single one.

He wasn't playing just for pretty characters.

After retrieving the fuel, the little robot rushed back and poured it over his unresponsive brother, hoping for a miracle.

But... it was no use.

Then a familiar voice appeared—9S.

"Wait... is this the continuation of 9S's story?"

Gary remembered the ending of the first playthrough.

If this truly picked up from there, then calling this a "second run" was misleading—it was actually a mandatory part of the full experience.

Any player who stopped after just one playthrough would be missing out on the real story.