While many people are worried about the “big-name franchises” of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft and what state they’ll be in during the upcoming year or so, some lesser-known franchises are poised to make a return should their designers want them to. For example, on the Square Enix side of things, while they are getting ready for a big remake sequel to come out in a few days, they have more than one team working on RPGs. One of them is Team Asano, who has worked on multiple series, including the Bravely Default line. A line that recently celebrated an anniversary.
Specifically, it was the third anniversary since the release of the second mainline title on the Nintendo Switch. The man behind the team, Tomoya Asano, showed off some new art celebrating the anniversary and then thanked fans for supporting it as they have. He didn’t end there, though; he also went on to note:
“I’m sure we’ll be able to tell you about some developments in the Bravely series this year, so please keep an eye out for it.
We grant you it’s a bit vague, but we know that Team Asano hasn’t been working on anything since their latest title, which was Octopath Traveler II, back in February of 2023. It would make sense that they’ve been diving into a new project to bring to modern systems, and Bravely Default might be getting a third title as a result.
The original two games came out on the 3DS and put certain spins on the RPG franchise via its combat system. It gave players multiple options on how to “stack up” jobs, use abilities, and get through battles. Then its “third title,” despite it having a “2” in the name, came out on the Nintendo Switch in 2021.
While the sales of these games didn’t “blow people away,” they did well enough to keep getting made, and that says something.
Another thing to note here is that many of the Team Asano titles in recent years have come out on the Nintendo Switch. Why does that matter? Currently, The Big N’s 2024 doesn’t look that strong, especially in the third-party market where they don’t have any exclusives currently. However, if Team Asano were to announce a new title in this franchise or any franchise they have for that matter, things could change in a hurry.
Or it could be another title that comes out on the Nintendo Switch 2 when it is announced. Only time will tell.
