The Wor[l]ds of Yoko Taro

by Teppei Fujiwara

The Wor[l]ds of Yoko Taro is a book exploring the writing process in games through 30+ hours of interviews we conducted with Yoko Taro, creator of the NieR and Drakengard series.

What is the writing process behind a game? What are the specificities of games as a medium? How does a universe take form? Through Yoko Taro's lens, we reflect on writing starting from base ideation, analyzing real-life scenarios and deconstructing them into elements for story construction, the thought process in order to convey emotion to the players, all the way to practical aspects for building a narrative.

Genres: Nonfiction

280 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2026

Reviews

[Tim]

"I'll answer anything, because I'm drunk."

[Rebeca F.]

This was such a fascinating read, but then I'm a huge fan of Mr. Taro so it was a pretty sure hit.
This book collects the best of over 30 hours of interviews with Yoko Taro where he touches on many diverse subjects in his usual unique style. There're chapters dedicated to his games, to his work in manga, theater and others, besides his teaching, with tips and advices for writers and a very in depth look at his way of thinking stories and writing them.
It’s truly captivating, easy to read, light hearted but pretty deep at times, and I feel it captures perfectly the genius and very particular style of the video game author.