A week after one of its best recent JRPGs mysteriously disappeared from Nintendo Switch, Square Enix finally admits it's working on a fix
Octopath Traveler vanished from the eShop last week
A week after JRPG fans noted that Octopath Traveler was no longer available on the Nintendo Switch eShop, Square Enix says it's working on a fix.
Last week, Octopath Traveler fans noted that the hit 2018 JRPG was no longer available to buy digitally on the Nintendo Switch. The game's store page simply noted that it was no longer available, and didn't provide any details as to why it had been taken down.
At the time, developer and publisher Square Enix was oddly silent, not responding to questions about the situation from numerous outlets, as well as fans. Today, March 5, that's finally changed, because in the tweet below, the developer acknowledges Octopath Traveler being unavailable, and says it's working to fix it.
The Nintendo Switch eShop version of Octopath Traveler is temporarily unable to purchase.We are working on this and will update when the game is available to purchase again. pic.twitter.com/YqK8EYsylwMarch 5, 2024
It's a relief to know that Square Enix is aware of the situation, and also seems to be optimistic that it can bring Octopath Traveler back to the eShop. "We are working on this and will update when the game is available to purchase again" seems to paint a pretty hopeful picture.
When the game was first taken down last week, many speculated that it was because the game's publisher has quietly changed. Whereas Nintendo was previously listed as the Switch publisher for Octopath Traveler, the eShop suddenly listed Square Enix as the publisher instead. There hasn't been any clarification from either party as to what's going on there.
Thankfully, you can still pick up Octopath Traveler on Xbox systems, Android devices, and PC via Steam and Windows. In other somewhat Octopath Traveler-related news, FromSoftware's parent company recently acquired Acquire, who developed both the Octopath Traveler games for Square Enix. The acquisition is apparently intended to spawn more original games.
The gameplay style of Octopath Traveler still has a lot of fans - Final Fantasy 6's original director would be down for a 2D-HD-style remake of the original JRPG.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.