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In the 2024 Famitsu New Year Greetings column, Yoko Taro shared that he’s working on a new Bakuken stage play. This will be the fourth stage play in the Bakuken -An Explosion of Swords- series. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
The new Bakuken stage play is subtitled Teikoku Gensou Heidan, and it roughly translates to “Imperial Illusion Army.” Yoko Taro confirmed that he is currently writing the script for the new Bakuken stage play, and said that it will appear sometime before the end of 2024. The first two Bakuken stage plays and the introduction to the third entry are available to watch for free with English subtitles in the Shiro-Kuro official YouTube channel.
Additionally, Yoko Taro shared in the Famitsu column that he has been missing a lot of deadlines throughout 2023. The developer and writer said that he is “surprised at the potential of the human race to be unconcerned about missing deadlines.”
The 2024 keyword for Yoko Taro is “Chiikawa,” in reference to the popular manga series. When asked about his recent interests, Taro said he wants the story of Chiikawa to become a bit more “mild,” as it makes his heart ache. He also jokingly stated that “humanity is not made to endure such stories.”
Yoko Taro discussed his struggles with deadlines in a conversation with himself that he shared on his social media. In it, the creator gives himself two voices that discuss his struggles with deadlines, as well as how to achieve a “better self,” while he waits for the emergency dentist’s office to open on New Year’s Day. The conversation is only available in Japanese.
Taro has ample experience working on stage plays. Notable examples include the YoRHa stage plays that act as prequels to NieR: Automata, one of which inspired the creation of the game.
