Update

Octopath Traveler team thanks players for the game's success

A touching missive

Octopath Traveler team thanks players for the game's success

Things have been pretty good for Octopath Traveler since the game launched just last week. The game's been receiving widespread critical acclaim while physical copies have been flying off the shelves worldwide. So much so, that Square Enix had to issue an apology for the lack of stock. The game’s creators have poured a lot of love into this project, so they took to Nintendo’s blog to share their thanks for the game’s success, while also offering a few interesting tidbits about the game’s development.

The note puts an emphasis on Octopath Traveler’s identity as a callback to classic JRPGs. ACQUIRE director Keisuke Miyauchi pointed out three areas the team focused on to ensure that the game would get plenty of points for nostalgia while also giving Octopath Traveler a modern vibe.

“The first is the glorious visuals rendered in 'HD-2D.' We took inspiration from the pixel art of the RPGs we ourselves used to play, updating them with modern technology to create rich and varied landscapes that we believe players will find to be both nostalgic and freshly beautiful.”

Octopath Traveler

Miyauchi also mentions interactivity as a major keystone—all of the playable characters in Octopath Traveler can interact with the residents of the world to learn more about them. The team also wanted to give players freedom, something that can be pretty rare in JRPGs. Miyauchi says they wanted players to be able to progress through the story at their own leisure.

Masashi Takahashi, producer at Square Enix, took a more sentimental tone, expressing his surprise at the game’s runaway success:

“Releasing the game simultaneously around the world was a significant challenge for us, but the tremendous reception we've received has made all the struggles along the way worth it. Just thinking that fans in all corners of the world will be enjoying Octopath Traveler at the same time truly blows me away.”

You can pop on over and read their notes in full on Nintendo’s blog.