NieR Replicant for Japan Only?

According to gaming blog Adriasang, the most recent issue of Famitsu sports an interview with Yosuke Saito, the executive producer of Square Enix's Cavia-developed action-RPG, NieR.

As you will likely recall, NieR is being released as an "exclusive" title on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Though the game will essentially be the same, the Xbox 360 version (called Gestalt) will feature a middle-aged protagonist fighting to save his daughter, while the PlayStation 3 version (known as Replicant) will feature the main character as a young man fighting to save his sister. So basically, the only difference is the age of the protagonist, and his relationship to the girl requiring saving.

Reportedly, however, Saito has heavily implied that NieR Replicant will be a Japan-only affair, with only the Gestalt version being published in North America and Europe. This jives with Square Enix's North American site for the game, which only refers to the game as "NieR" (neither Gestalt nor Replicant attached to the name), and lists it for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

If this information is true, it will mean that any players who do not understand Japanese / are too lazy to import will not be able to play as the young, effeminate version of the upcoming action hero.

I can't help thinking that the Replicant version is being developed only because many Japanese players do want to play as an older hero, and Cavia/Square Enix has made the version just to be able to sell the game there. Just my own opinion. I could be ultra-wrong.

Either way, this information is unconfirmed at this point, so I will go ahead a tag it as a RUMOUR until further notice. Again, though, based on the NA website, I'd guess it to be legit.

NieR Gestalt and NieR Replicant will be available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (respectively) sometime next year in Japan, with a North America version expected soon afterwards.

[Adriasang]