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[Nautilus]

Live A Live sold 500k. HD2D game. It's a niche genre, but this one is doing very well.

We need to stop using these words that have completely lost its meaning due to how overused it is.

Niche is a word used to describe a game, in this game, that have a very select and small public. 3 million units(and counting) is not a small, select public. That's what OT did. 500k might be for Live a Live, if it stops selling and stays at 500k, but even then its questionable.

 

[PJX]

I’m not 100% sure, how much Scarlet Nexus which mostly advertised on Xbox sold on Xbox compare to Playstation?

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't think the sales were that much different between the both of them.

Bandi Namco games must be doing good sales on Xbox for them to keep releasing them. They just announced a remake of a Tales game for all consoles.

 

[Punished Miku]

We need to stop using these words that have completely lost its meaning due to how overused it is.

Niche is a word used to describe a game, in this game, that have a very select and small public. 3 million units(and counting) is not a small, select public. That's what OT did. 500k might be for Live a Live, if it stops selling and stays at 500k, but even then its questionable.

Okay, have fun with that.

 

[Nautilus]

Okay, have fun with that.

Its just the truth lol.

3 million units isn't niche in any capacity. Most RPGs released, especially in the last years, aren't niche, and I don't understand why people think they are.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

Star Ocean, Diofield and Crisis Core Reunion are coming to Xbox, meanwhile the game that follows Crisis Core Reunion is not on Xbox, the sequel to Octopath, which was on XBox, is not coming to Xbox.

It's bizarre.

Yeah, it only makes sense if moneyhats are involved. And since we know how much Square loves moneyhats, it's the most viable explanation.

 

[reinking]

Yeah, it only makes sense if moneyhats are involved. And since we know how much Square loves moneyhats, it's the most viable explanation.

So you are saying MS money-hatted the first Octopath to keep it off playstation?

 

[Bernd Lauert]

So you are saying MS money-hatted the first Octopath to keep it off playstation?

 

[Rat Rage]

Such a waste of good pixels! HD-2D looks shit.

 

[solidus12]

A great sequel coming to PS5 and Nintendo Switch exclusively !!

 

[Daytonabot]

Which is also because- and this is a shocker- the Japanese games, prioritize the Japanese consoles. What a fucking surprise.

There is only one Japanese console. PlayStation is now a California brand through and through.

 

[64bitmodels]

There is only one Japanese console. PlayStation is now a California brand through and through.

a california brand with a japanese history being run by a Japanese company. My point still stands.

 

[SteelCurtain 59]

However poorly Octopath sold on Xbox, it sold more than the 0 on Playstation

 

[64bitmodels]

However poorly Octopath sold on Xbox, it sold more than the 0 on Playstation

and the sequel that skipped Xbox and went to Playstation will sell infinitely more copies than how much the original sold on Xbox.

Xbox players do NOT give a shit about JRPGs.
Japanese RPG developers do NOT give a shit about Xbox.

Xbox fanboys need to stop twisting words and making it sound like JRPGs only skip Xbox because of moneyhatting. It has nothing to do with that. Maybe FF7R, which is indeed a confirmed example of plain and simple money hatting, but not every game is like FF7R, and not all Japanese developers get paid by Sony. They simply just do not want to port their games to a platform where the majority of the target audience does not give a shit. Besides, when Playstation, Switch, and PC already cover the western front (and are more popular platforms as well) why the fuck would you bother with the less popular, shooter oriented, console? You'd get like 200k sales at most, LMAO

 

[SteelCurtain 59]

and the sequel that skipped Xbox and went to Playstation will sell infinitely more copies than how much the original sold on Xbox.

Xbox players do NOT give a shit about JRPGs.
Japanese RPG developers do NOT give a shit about Xbox.

Xbox fanboys need to stop twisting words and making it sound like JRPGs only skip Xbox because of moneyhatting. It has nothing to do with that. Maybe FF7R, which is indeed a confirmed example of plain and simple money hatting, but not every game is like FF7R, and not all Japanese developers get paid by Sony. They simply just do not want to port their games to a platform where the majority of the target audience does not give a shit. Besides, when Playstation, Switch, and PC already cover the western front (and are more popular platforms as well) why the fuck would you bother with the less popular, shooter oriented, console? You'd get like 200k sales at most, LMAO

Maybe because JRPG's are hardly released on Xbox? And when they do they get it super late or not the full series.

 

[Menzies]

and the sequel that skipped Xbox and went to Playstation will sell infinitely more copies than how much the original sold on Xbox.

Xbox players do NOT give a shit about JRPGs.
Japanese RPG developers do NOT give a shit about Xbox.

Xbox fanboys need to stop twisting words and making it sound like JRPGs only skip Xbox because of moneyhatting. It has nothing to do with that. Maybe FF7R, which is indeed a confirmed example of plain and simple money hatting, but not every game is like FF7R, and not all Japanese developers get paid by Sony. They simply just do not want to port their games to a platform where the majority of the target audience does not give a shit. Besides, when Playstation, Switch, and PC already cover the western front (and are more popular platforms as well) why the fuck would you bother with the less popular, shooter oriented, console? You'd get like 200k sales at most, LMAO

They've got a choice.

The current strategy: - continue to mostly avoid the platform and selectively drip-feed the odd game here or there...and then complain about sales. Rinse and repeat. Working great so far!

Alternative approach: - consistently release games and try to cultivate a following and a presence with a new audience/market.

 

[64bitmodels]

The current strategy: - continue to mostly avoid the platform and selectively drip-feed the odd game here or there...and then complain about sales. Rinse and repeat. Working great so far!

the platform's avoided for a reason. only 200k people in japan own a (next gen) Xbox. What the fuck's the point of making games for it?

 

[Menzies]

the platform's avoided for a reason. only 200k people in japan own a (next gen) Xbox. What the fuck's the point of making games for it?

Well, there's an audience for JRPG's outside of Japan. And we're what? 2 years into a new gen? Your plan to increase the market is to...avoid it and wait for it to grow by itself?

 

[GHG]

They've got a choice.

The current strategy: - continue to mostly avoid the platform and selectively drip-feed the odd game here or there...and then complain about sales. Rinse and repeat. Working great so far!

Alternative approach: - consistently release games and try to cultivate a following and a presence with a new audience/market.

Have a read through this thread:

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/xbox-players-need-to-realize-that-jrpg-developers-and-by-extension-the-rest-of-japan-do-not-care-about-xbox.1641397/

I have nothing more to say on this other than what I've already said. I feel sorry for the open minded gamers who have chosen to wall themselves in (in fact, having written that and the fact that it's contradictory in of itself maybe I shouldn't, but whatever, people should be capable of making the decisions they need to for themselves).

 

[64bitmodels]

Your plan to increase the market is to...avoid it and wait for it to grow by itself?

Xbox needs to take initiative to get Japan to like the Xbox more. They currently are, but judging by how badly they're lagging in comparison to the compeittion it's not working good enough

 

[Menzies]

Have a read through this thread:

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/xbox-players-need-to-realize-that-jrpg-developers-and-by-extension-the-rest-of-japan-do-not-care-about-xbox.1641397/

I have nothing more to say on this other than what I've already said. I feel sorry for the open minded gamers who have chosen to wall themselves in (in fact, having written that and the fact that it's contradictory in of itself maybe I shouldn't, but whatever, people should be capable of making the decisions they need to for themselves).

I'm not one for generalizing or painting in broad strokes, and I'm not sure the run-of-the-mill forum thread/pseudo survey amounts to much.

There would also be a 'tidy' percentage of PlayStation owners not interested in JRPG's as well, considering they generally don't set the WW sales charts on fire these days.

I personally haven't walled myself in and will be buying Octopath 2, however, I comment to hopefully see an improvement within Xbox market share and acknowledging that not everyone can afford multiple consoles.

 

[reksveks]

No octopath traveller 1 announcement?

Re ps release I mean

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Will buy on PS5, good chance we'll get the first one now, let's see.

 

[Lognor]

I really liked the first game. I wish there has been a more cohesive overarching story. Hopefully the sequel fixes that. Gameplay was great though!

 

[Torrent of Pork]

Sucks about the lack of an Xbox release, but that's one of the reasons I also own a Switch.

Fixing the story problems of Octopath is actually pretty simple, don't let the player access any chapter 2 portions until all the characters are picked up, and then go all in on the character interactions.

 

[adamsapple]

the platform's avoided for a reason. only 200k people in japan own a (next gen) Xbox. What the fuck's the point of making games for it?

To sell to a global audience, like all publishers aspire to do ?

 

[Exentryk]

This is my jam. Loved the first and will be there day 1 for this too.

I am surprised that they've kept the same jobs though. Thought we'd get new jobs with new characters? But oh well, the combat still looks the same, so pretty happy with that.

Give us a demo already!

 

[Pedro Motta]

Yeah, it only makes sense if moneyhats are involved. And since we know how much Square loves moneyhats, it's the most viable explanation.

So it does not make sense that the game didn’t sell for shit on Xbox that they scraped that version all together? Probably not worth the investment.

 

[Menzies]

So it does not make sense that the game didn’t sell for shit on Xbox that they scraped that version all together? Probably not worth the investment.

Not sure how much the port would cost, considering the experience with the previous release and the new game targeting PC/PS5, which aren't wildly different architecture, but I speak in ignorance of such things.

If this truly is the case, then I would honestly be surprised given Phil's commentary about increasing efforts in this region, that there isn't a 'standing order' that Microsoft is prepared to front all porting costs under fair and reasonable terms.

 

[Pimpbaa]

First game was the first jRPG I’ve really loved since FF6. Going to be weird playing this on my PS5 since I associate the first game with the Switch so much.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

It almost seems like they are going the steampunk route for the second game. That looks kind of cool.

 

[Dave_at_Home]

I've read mixed things on the first Octopath game. Dunkey's review is what sealed the deal for me to skip it. We seem to share the same viewpoints when it comes to JRPGs. Anyway, for the people who loved/disliked the first, what are you looking forward and what are you hoping gets fixed?

RPG genre as a whole is something I've ignored for most of my gaming life. I'm trying to change that. Don't care about orcs and goblins and I try to avoid annoying anime bullshit. Kind of eliminates much of the RPG pool but whatever. Currently playing the first Ni no Kuni and it's cute and light hearted. I'm hoping Octopath 2 pull me in.

 

[Fuz]

Anyway, for the people who loved/disliked the first, what are you looking forward and what are you hoping gets fixed?

- Too much farming.
- The rock/paper/scissor combat was annoying as fuck after the novelty fades.
- Pointless characters with no team interactions.

 

[Dave_at_Home]

- Too much farming.
- The rock/paper/scissor combat was annoying as fuck after the novelty fades.
- Pointless characters with no team interactions.

If Octopath 2 doesn't stray from the norm than it'll be a hard pass.

Perhaps Sea of Stars will be different? Keeping my eye on that one.

 

[AJUMP23]

Updates on Jobs and someone really loves drawing the thief.

Octopath Traveler II details Throne the Thief, Temenos the Cleric, secondary jobs, and support skills​

Octopath Traveler II details Throne the Thief, Temenos the Cleric, secondary jobs, and support skills

Publisher Square Enix and developer Acquire have released new information and screenshots for Octopath Traveler II introducing the tales of Osvald the Scholar and Partitio the Merchant, and water t…

www.gematsu.com

​

 

[Pejo]

Love that art. I'm really excited for this game. I haven't read much in fear of spoilers, but have they mentioned if it's related to the first game in any sort of way?

 

[Punished Miku]

Updates on Jobs and someone really loves drawing the thief.

Octopath Traveler II details Throne the Thief, Temenos the Cleric, secondary jobs, and support skills​

Octopath Traveler II details Throne the Thief, Temenos the Cleric, secondary jobs, and support skills

Publisher Square Enix and developer Acquire have released new information and screenshots for Octopath Traveler II introducing the tales of Osvald the Scholar and Partitio the Merchant, and water t…

www.gematsu.com

​

Hyped

 

[jshackles]

The class system seems pretty similar to Octopath 1, which I really loved. Mechanically a lot of what they're describing here is straight out of the first game. I dig it.

 

[Labadal]

I hope there are a few more secret jobs.

 

[Raven117]

I mean, could they not just try and give us FFVI again (but done in a different way?)

Thats what we really want

 

[Labadal]

Maybe it's just me, because I hear a lot of lukewarm impressions of Octopath Traveler, but I loved the first game. Octo II is without a doubt my most anticipated game alongside Like A Dragon: Ishin!

 

[Exentryk]

Octo II is without a doubt my most anticipated game

This.

 

[Swift_Star]

Japanese game fans buying a completely American focused console and then complaining Japanese games don’t release on said platform will never make sense to me.
Xbox is an US console focused specifically on the US and to an extent, the UK.
They never cared about the rest of the world.

 

[Victor Omega]

Also PC and Stadia.

 

[Punished Miku]

Japanese game fans buying a completely American focused console and then complaining Japanese games don’t release on said platform will never make sense to me.
Xbox is an US console focused specifically on the US and to an extent, the UK.
They never cared about the rest of the world.

Except you know ... Octopath Traveler 1.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

Maybe it's just me, because I hear a lot of lukewarm impressions of Octopath Traveler, but I loved the first game. Octo II is without a doubt my most anticipated game alongside Like A Dragon: Ishin!

Octo 1 was an amazing attempt to bring 16 bit RPG's forward.

The problem with the game was the story didn't connect really. Which would have been fine, if Square would have told everyone upfront. The idea was it was designed for shorter play sessions with concrete objectives, so you don't get lost if you put it down for a while. The battle system was fast and snappy. But it lead to another problem...

...The endless amount of random encounters. You could be a high level and get stuck in meaningless battles with very low level enemies and it could delay pushing the story along because of the endless random encounters. -IF- Octopath was designed slightly differently and made different design choices and cut the needless "fat" out of the game, it honestly could have been a 10 out of 10 game.

If OCTO 2 corrects these things...we will see. I would expect a very high review score. IF it doesn't, I would expect a lower score than Octo 1, as Octo 1 got high scores because of what it was attempting.

 

[adamsapple]

Throw it in the "posts that didn't age well" pot

 

[Rran]

I still thought Octopath 1 was great. It had 10/10 art, a 10/10 battle system, and (especially) 10/10 music. Its characters and story were more of a 7/10, but that's around where I feel a lot of beloved JRPGs land in that aspect (FF4, Xenoblade, DQ7, any Pokemon game), so I didn't think even that weakness was that bad. Since the writing itself was still pretty good, I actually had more of an issue with the repetitive chapter-based structure of the game.

Looking forward to the second one. I'll probably buy the soundtrack CD the minute it becomes available.

 

[jshackles]

and (especially) 10/10 music.

The music in Octopath 1 is god-tier. Seriously. The way that individual melodies get woven into other themes is a masterclass in how this should be done. The music was designed to have as few "hard cuts" as possible, so that the whole thing felt like an orchestrated concert. Definitely the best we've seen from Yasunori Nishiki so far, and he's back for this one. I hope this level of detail carries into the second game.

Seriously - this game probably has the best soundtrack / sound design I've seen in a game in a very long time

 

[Metnut]

If the game has a real/good plot and interesting dungeons maybe I’ll check it out. If it’s more of the same from Part 1, I’ll pass.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Maybe because JRPG's are hardly released on Xbox? And when they do they get it super late or not the full series.

Back in the early Xbox 360 days they absolutely dominated PS3 and Wii in JRPGs, including 2 exclusives from the newly formed Mistwalker, plus Tales of Vesperia and Star Ocean 4 + others as timed exclusives. They even got FF XIII, afaik the first time in series history they launched on multiple consoles. Plus a bunch of other cool exclusives/timed exclusives from Sega and other Japanese publishers.

They gave it one hell of a shot, but the “if you build it, they will come” approach didn’t work.

the platform's avoided for a reason. only 200k people in japan own a (next gen) Xbox. What the fuck's the point of making games for it?

There’s a strong market for JRPGs outside Japan. They often sell better outside of Japan than inside.

Even really Japanese stuff. 77% of Persona 5 series’ 15M + sales came from outside Japan:

Persona 5's Huge Success Is Down to Western Sales, SEGA Report Reiterates

How the tables turn

www.pushsquare.com

IMO the real problem is that the number of western gamers who like JRPGs but who don’t already have a PlayStation , Switch, or PC is pretty tiny, so the # of potential additional sales is negligible.