NieR: Automata anime put on pause due to COVID-19 issues

Three episodes in, the team is postponing further releases

The NieR: Automata anime is three episodes in, but the rollout is coming to a halt. More episodes of NieR: Automata Ver1.1a have been postponed until further notice.

In a statement on social media from the adaptation’s official account, the delay is attributed to COVID-related issues.

“Due to the impact of COVID-19 on production, we have decided to postpone the broadcast and distribution of episode 4 and all subsequent episodes,” reads the statement. “Information regarding the broadcast and distribution schedule for episode 4 and beyond will be announced on the official anime website and official Twitter soon.”

Broadcast postponement due to COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/dGz01S1ywQ

— NieR:Automata – Animation Project (@NieRA_anime_EN) January 21, 2023

No further details were given on how COVID has impacted production. As noted, there also isn’t an expected date for the series’ return just yet. Three episodes of NieR: Automata Ver1.1a are already available on streaming sites.

For the glory of mankind

The NieR: Automata anime adaptation looks to follow the events of 2017’s fantastic game, though with a few twists of its own in store. Yoko Taro has said that the Ver1.1a is affixed specifically because things are being changed around.

While NieR is certainly a series with many mysteries and lore, it looks like fans will have to wait a while longer to see the rest of what’s in store. Though no return date is locked in, hopefully the COVID-related issues resolve quickly and without any impact on those making this series happen.

In the meantime, you can always take a walk down memory lane and revisit NieR: Automata. The mod that made the infamous church mystery happen might be something fun to mess around with, to keep that inner lore detective happy until more NieR anime is ready to air. Or maybe catch up on our chat with the leads behind NieR: Automata that we conducted last year, to coincide with the release of NieR: Automata on Switch.

Eric Van Allen

Senior News Reporter