Square Enix has commented on the surprising success of Octopath Traveler confirming that the sales of the game exceeded their expectations. They mentioned the U.S.A and Europe as being the two major markets where the sales were higher than expectations.
Octopath Traveler launched with stock shortages faced across Amazon and in retail stores across Japan. This resulted in the game charting at number 1 on almost every region for the Nintendo eShop. Square Enix has confirmed that Octopath Traveler had a higher than average sales ratio for digital downloads.
Square Enix also considers Switch a good platform for middle-budget games like Octopath. They have plans to release similar titles in the future and they think that JRPG game design now appeals to the old Square Enix fans.
Square Enix on Octopath Traveler 2:
– (Your analysis on success?) more appreciation to JRPG in recent years, game design that appeals to old Square Enix game fans, new elements including HD-2D, attractive characters etc.— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) August 7, 2018
Square Enix on Octopath Traveler 3:
-(You still think Switch's a good platform for middle-range games?) Yes.
-(Can we expect more of similar games from you?) Yes
-(Platforms?) Octopath is Switch exclusive, where appropriate for forthcoming ones.— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) August 7, 2018
Octopath Traveler is available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. It is an old-school turn-based JRPG that features a gorgeous 2D-HD sprite design. It launched at the end of July and has managed to ship more than 1 million copies worldwide within 3 weeks of its launch.
Octopath Traveler was developed by the same team who worked on Bravely Default, and they have recently teased a new announcement, so perhaps their next project will be a Bravely Default game for the Nintendo Switch.
