For Some Reason, Octopath Traveler 2 Appears To Be Skipping Xbox

I'm hoping they missed out mentioning Xbox in the trailer as it will be mentioned at the Tokyo Gameshow Xbox show reel on the 15th.

The first game was a day-one Game Pass game but the Xbox version was the last version to be released. The fact that Octopath Traveler 2 has a Windows version at launch makes me believe that Xbox is getting the sequel, too. I'm not sure that it will happen at launch, though. I hope so because the first game is great!

It's because Square Enix aren't keen on Microsoft, there in Sony camp.

I'm not really confused, I'm almost sure theres gonna be a post launch version to Gamepass later 2023 ir even 2024, the same happens with the firts Game, great Game.

@Syeiko013 It might come later on as part of Game Pass as you say. Perhaps the money asked at launch doesn't make sense to Microsoft.

Yeah, Octopath Traveler is on Xbox, but let's not forget that it took nearly three whole years to get there.

@SinfulDestroyer Octopath Traveler is on Steam. Octopath Traveler II will release on Steam same day as Switch, PS4 and PS5.

After Xbox funded the original’s Gamepass (and Xbox) release, I assume SE is holding out for the same offer from Xbox for this release. Kind of feel like they are holding all of their games to ransom like this as actual sales on the platform are probably not all that high.

Koei made Crimson Sea exclusive for original Xbox back in the early 2000’s, then turns around and made its sequel exclusive to PlayStation 2.

Nothing new, just the usual SE bullsh1t. How they decide what to be released on Xbox is just weird and questionable as hell.

@cragis0001 That's what I'm hoping for. Would be a great way for Xbox to say to Japan "Look, we get these games too!"

I'd also like to point out that Microsoft has been advertising and positioning Xbox as the place to play dude-bro shooters - not JRPG's (apart from the half-hearted attempt during the Xbox 360 era) - since the beginning, so it's probably not particularly profitable for Square Enix and other Japanese companies to release such games on Xbox because the audience for them probably isn't that sizeable.

This is why Xbox gets Octopath Traveler, Dragon Quest XI, Persona 5, the Yakuza series, etc, years after the fact.

This is also why Microsoft bought Zenimax and why they're trying to purchase Activision Blizzard. They know their audience is into shooters and Western RPG's; if it were JRPG's, they would've gone after someone like Square Enix.

@Markatron84 Microsoft haven’t advertised like that in a very long time like the 360 era. The big ad campaign push now involves families playing games together. And who bought the creators of Halo?

Anyway the dude bro push has been gone and the best place to play COD is on PS lest we forget the exclusive modes for that platform.

MS does want a Japanese studio but a) both Bethesda and ABL were in places to be scooped up. Like once in a life time deals. But they’ve said they are still looking for a more “diverse studio”

I don't think jrpgs get many sales on Xbox. I would be curious how many downloads the 1st one got even in gamepass. It's very possible square Enix was unimpressed with their Xbox release of the 1st one. Without the up front money of gamepass Xbox is seen as a risk for jrpg devs.

We all know Square enjoys game exclusivity dollars, and that’s Sony’s favorite tactic.

@Casco Don't do that. Xbox does it too. I guess with that logic, we could ascertain that Xbox paid for exclusivity of the first game to keep off Sony. While Sony kept this one off MS. Blind speculation of course, but plausible. Gives credence to the fact that both do it.

@SplooshDmg Square is very weird with their releases. They never released the pixel remasters on any console either, just PC and phones.

@Markatron84 "if it were JRPG's, they would've gone after someone like Square Enix."

You don't just "go for someone like Square Enix". Square Enix was not up for sale, and Zenimax actively wanted to sell. Phil has been clear he wants to increase their Japanese lineup and presence, but it's not like those studios go up for sale every other week.

Also don't forget one of their highlights titles with the launch of the Series X was Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon, where they paid for next gen timed exclusivity, they also got us Dragon Quest XI on Game Pass and now they going to get us Persona 5 Royale on Game Pass.

They are trying, but with their weak Japanese presence, it takes them quite a bit of effort to persuade publishers, some that were until recently perfectly happy to **only** sell on Japan.

Honestly the launch strategy of the first game invoked GP the first time. I expect it will involve it the second time. Wether now or at a later date.

Sony pay for exclusivity like final fantasy 7 remake and final fantasy 16 and most likely this as well

@SplooshDmg They are also releasing Core Crisis on XBox so it's not like they dislike Xbox or anything like that.

There are 3 things I can see for them to hold a game back from a platform:

A) Someone paid to keep it off that platform (I would not put it past PlayStation to do this.)

B) They are fishing for platform holder money (like they refused to port FFVII [I think that was the one] remake to pc until Epic paid them to finance the port and timed exclusivity)

C) They are possibly playing some timing game (maybe they do want it day one on Game Pass BUT still want a buffer time for it to sell in other platforms before pushing it through, for example.)

There is also the chance that Square is simply managed by a flock of headless chickens. 🤷

@Tharsman well they are heavily investing in NFTs so headless chickens is an option.

@Tharsman I just used Square as an example.

I liked the first game just fine, but I'm not interested enough to get/play this unless it's included on gamepass or ps+

@trev666 the game is not exclusive to playstation

I mean the first one had the weirdest release schedule ever so I'm not too bothered.

@Markatron84 and how does that change anything I said? Again, no one "like Square" was up for sale. If there was a like-square jrpg developer that was up for sale, and has sold, but XBox passed on them, then your argument about XBox audience not caring about JRPGs would be more fitting, but even then, not really.

Again, if XBox audience was so heavily tilted away from JRPGs, why is XBox investing so heavily on JRPGs like Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy and Octopath Traveler for game pass?

@SplooshDmg actually SE isn’t really internally developing a lot right now. Most of the games on the launch slate are developed by other people like Tri-ace. And Forespoken was delayed due to God of War, so it’s just being polished now. Tokyo RPG Factory still exists so I imagine that team is assisting other teams. I don’t think they are spread that thin. Specially when they make mobile versions of things.

However, I think a lot of it had to do with GP vs out of gate sales. Obviously they can port to Xbox later and people will play it. Why rush? Get paid twice? I mean from a business perspective why not? Star Ocean and Crisis Core should have decent launch sales on Xbox But OT2? That might just be better being straight into a service.

But I do think it’s less about being spread thin and more about maximizing profits which well it’s a business that’s what they do.

@Tharsman if they were heavily invested, they'd be getting those games day and date with other platforms, not waiting years and releasing them to little fanfare.

Physical collectors edition for P5R for Xbox

https://shopatlus.com/products/p5r1me?utm_source=social&utm_medium=atluswest&utm_campaign=preorder&variant=42019595845804

@Markatron84 don't know how you measure fanfare, but many of these games were locked behind exclusivity deals. Both Sony and Nintendo love making timed exclusivity deals for those games.

We ARE getting Crisis Core remake day and date.

Yeah, gotta say this is getting pretty annoying

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but did the first game even release on Sony systems? Pfft.

It's been made a PlayStation exclusive missing all other platforms, because crying Ryan is pissy he never got the first game.. you know just another Sony locked down third party exclusive.

@Markatron84. Microsoft advertised Scarlet Nexus on the run up to its release if I remember correctly. But I don't think it's as simple as saying Xbox users don't play JRPGs as why would you invest in them if you get one game in a series & then they miss out on the next several as it's been that way since the original Xbox.

Square seems to be pulling even further from Xbox even though Xbox is doin much better this gen

@SplooshDmg Like I said regardless they probably aren’t worried about date/date because they can throw it on GP later. Not to mention that can give some titles a second buzz and generate a little more revenue. So even if they weren’t”thin”, they aren’t pressed like they are for everyone else.

It’s honestly similar to Bandai and the Switch. They release on the big consoles first then port later. They seem to be selling quite well and gee ate second winds. It works.

But I get it people think games that are even 6 months old are suddenly bad even if that’s just a preset toon.

@SplooshDmg Sure, I’m think we are close in thought process for this. However, I don’t think Square Enix is losing sales by not porting a game to mobile day 1. And that’s where I have issues with the “spread thin” thing. It’s hard for me to buy that part but everything g else sure. I mean people get fussed about day 1 access but really the value of the game remains the same.

@SplooshDmg who knows really. I know mobile is a huge portion but some of these games are action RPGs like Trails of Mana.

@SplooshDmg yes science lol doesn’t she also have your old Switch?

@SplooshDmg my cousins daughter plays Roblox on her IPad and is an addict. It’s super cute.

@Snake_V5 Mate they release more Switch exclusives in a year than they release PlayStation exclusives over their entire lifespan, how this conception of them being "in the Sony camp" persists I will never know.

Like, this article is about a game announced with the Switch as the lead platform, and which is the sequel to a hit Switch exclusive new IP launch that only later went to other systems, and somehow even here you are missing the bigger picture.

@Snake_V5 it was announced at the Nintendo direct not the state of play that Sony had the same day lol

Square enix have a very high bar for what they accept as a good launch or return on investment.
Maybe the results from putting no 1 on game pass did not convince them of its value? Most studios seem happy with the returns such an option provides, but its square, even guardians of the galaxey was rated a dissapointment.

Great it's on steam. My Razer laptop is perfect for HD2D RPGs. Already have Octopath 1, just waiting for Live a Live and the Dragon Quest 3 HD2D remake.

@Titntin Guardians was fun and funny arcade action. Square messing up with avengers did ruin its chances.