It’s always interesting to see how developers and publishers try to celebrate the anniversaries of their titles. Oftentimes, they’ll simply make a piece of art and call it done. They’ll thank the fans for purchasing the game or making it a hit and then move on. But sometimes, the teams will go the “extra mile” and attempt to do something a bit more special. Such will be the case with Square Enix, as it’s been announced that they will do a special 5th Anniversary stream for their beloved RPG Octopath Traveler—a unique way to celebrate the game, to be sure.
While we don’t know when or how long the stream will be, it’s clear that Square Enix has something special planned for this stream. Otherwise, why do it at all?
As for why they’re doing a stream of this game, it’s hard to say. But it could be that they simply want their fans to see that this title means as much to them as it did to the gamers that made it a success. When Octopath Traveler was first announced, gamers and critics didn’t know what to make of it due to its old-school feel and 2.5-HD graphics, which had never been used in a game before.
Furthermore, when it was revealed that the game would have eight different main characters going on eight separate journeys, people wondered how that would all work.
The answer would be “very well.” Not only did fans love the graphics, but the adventures of these eight characters were very enticing, to the extent that the game sold very well in its first month on the Nintendo Switch and was eventually ported to the PC.
Thanks to its success, the game’s team, Team Asano, continued to develop the 2.5 HD style and developed more games through it. One of which was the true sequel to the game, and another was a fresh RPG called Triangle Strategy and the remake of Live A Live.
The 2.5-HD style is essentially its own genre now, and Square Enix will be using that with their other franchises where applicable. But they clearly didn’t forget where the idea originated from, hence the celebratory stream.
It should also be noted that the sequel has sold over 1 million units between its many platforms. While that doesn’t mean we’ll get a third game announcement during the stream, it would be a very appropriate place for such an announcement.
