One of these days, Geoff Keighley will say ‘world premiere’ and a new Nier game will appear. Nier Automata released in 2017 – almost ten years ago now – and Square Enix’s mobile title, Nier Re[in]carnation shuttered in 2023. Automata alone has sold over ten million copies; an announcement that was accompanied by a new trailer early this year that ended on an ominous “Nier Automata to be continued…” Since then, Summer Game Fest, Gamescom, and Tokyo Game Show have come and gone, and there’s been no sign of a new Nier. All eyes on The Game Awards, then, but thankfully Dead by Daylight‘s giving us a much-needed dose of YoRHa.
While the horror game’s latest crossover is purely cosmetic, 2B and A2 join the fray as Legendary outfits for Feng Min and Yui Kimura, respectively. Feng Min sports 2B’s iconic black dress, blindfold, and short, bobbed silver hair, while Yui becomes a bloodied A2, with long, equally gray hair and her signature black look.
The Legion will also be getting a brand new Very Rare outfit, inspired by Emil – or the weird, smiley head that Nier Creative Director Yoko Taro wears when he’s out and about (that’s me simplifying things down massively). Honestly, I find Emil pretty creepy, and given that he’s now covered in blood and chasing me, I suspect that isn’t going to help me get over that fear.
At first glance, it feels like the worlds of Nier and Dead by Daylight are pretty far apart. Both games, however, deal with a sense of hopelessness – the constant war of Nier versus the ever-punishing Fog of Dead by Daylight, and the overarching themes of humanity and violence. Taking that into account, everything feels a bit more authentic than the likes of Rainbow 6’s bizarre Nier crossover, which felt a little confusing at best.
We’ve seen 2B dropped into myriad other IPs now (with Fortnite being the odd exception), and all I can do is hope that DBD’s new collection heralds an upcoming Nier experience. Until then, though, I’ll absolutely be playing at A2 Yui; I mean, come on. Wouldn’t you?
Dead by Daylight’s Nier Automata collaboration is available in-game now.