Yoko Taro, the director behind the acclaimed Nier series, has revealed a concerning trend regarding his autographs. In a recent post, he expressed his disappointment after discovering that nearly half of the autographs being resold online are forgeries. He explained that he includes subtle unique features in his real signatures to help verify their authenticity.

“This autograph is a fake. I include small unknown features in my real autographs to prevent reselling, so I can tell when one isn’t genuine,” Taro stated. “I’ve confirmed that nearly half of the autographs being resold are actually fake, so please don’t buy them.”

This situation underscores ongoing challenges with autograph fraud in the gaming industry, where scalpers target not just collectibles but also personal memorabilia.