Pragmata director and former Nier: Automata weapon artist Cho Yonghee gets a shoutout from Yoko Taro as the new IP holds its own among a golden Capcom lineup
Capcom’s latest success story, sci-fi hacking-action game Pragmata, marks the directorial debut for Cho Yonghee, a former Nier: Automata weapon concept artist and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance character designer. Yoko Taro, Nier and Drakengard chief, praised Yonghee in a Twitter post and said he’s looking to play Pragmata himself.
“Cho is amazing,” he wrote (machine translated), “I really need to start playing Pragmata.”
Yonghee responded in a quote tweet, saying (machine translated), “Yoko Taro! Thank you so much! It’s been a while!!” The rest of his Twitter feed is a wall of shared Pragmata fan art, much of it featuring gremlin Diana helping (and sometimes confounding) protagonist Hugh.
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Capcom announced on Monday that Pragmata sold 1 million copies in its first two days, praising “strong reception” for its “highly innovative and original gameplay.” Which is very much giving yourself a medal, but per our Pragmata review, Capcom has a point.
Even on the heels of mega-hit Resident Evil Requiem and princely RPG Monster Hunter Stories 3, Pragmata can hold its own among Capcom’s golden age. It’s already one of the best-rated Capcom releases on Steam, close behind all-time classics like Resident Evil 4.
Taro wasn’t the only fellow action developer to tip his hat to Yonghee. Stellar Blade developer ShiftUp also celebrated the game’s success and Yonghee’s debut, with the game’s official account saying, “So proud to see Korean Director Cho Yong-hee making such a Big impact with his directorial debut title. Congrats!!” ShiftUp founder Hyung-tae Kim likewise championed Crimson Desert of Korean studio Pearl Abyss.
Capcom knows it’s on a roll, threatens another banger after Resident Evil Requiem, Monster Hunter Stories 3, and Pragmata: “We’re not done with 2026 yet.”
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