Just when you thought the anime and gaming spheres couldn’t get any more unpredictable, 2026 delivers a creative crossover that feels like an absolute fever dream. As part of the franchise’s 30th-anniversary celebrations, it has been officially announced that a brand-new Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series is in production. The biggest shocker? It’s being written by NieR mastermind Yoko Taro.
It is impossible to overstate the cultural phenomenon that is Evangelion. Since its debut in 1995, it hasn’t just been a successful show; it has been a foundational pillar of the medium itself. It completely redefined the mecha genre, bringing a raw, psychological deconstruction to the screen that left a permanent scar on pop culture. Eva is sacred ground in the anime world, and handing the narrative reins to anyone other than creator Hideaki Anno is a historic shift. However, with Studio Khara and CloverWorks animating, and Rebuild veteran Kazuya Tsurumaki directing alongside Toko Yatabe, the legacy is in hands that deeply understand its monumental emotional weight.
For Yoko Taro to step into this universe is a brilliant, full-circle moment. He has never been shy about how heavily Evangelion inspired his own work in gaming. And this announcement couldn’t come at a more triumphant time for his flagship series. Just days ago, Square Enix confirmed that NieR: Automata officially surpassed 10 million copies sold worldwide—an astronomical milestone that cements Taro’s unique brand of existential storytelling as a mainstream powerhouse.
That 10 million sales mark was also accompanied by a cryptic “NieR: Automata to be continued…” teaser, proving that Taro’s momentum in the industry is entirely unstoppable right now.
To make this new Evangelion project even more perfect, legendary NieR composer Keiichi Okabe is attached to score the series. We are officially getting the dream team behind gaming’s most beautifully depressing universe tackling anime’s most beautifully depressing universe. Get ready to have your heart shattered all over again.
