On Friday, after what seemed like an eternal wait for eager fans, Octopath Traveler was released. The game has been much hyped as Square Enix’s “HD-2D” RPG, with almost unanimous agreement over the incredible artwork and visual appeal. However, Square Enix apparently didn’t get the memo about how heavily this title was anticipated… because stock shortages almost immediately left many, many fans without a physical copy in hand.
In Japan, the outrage and disappointment was so fervent that Square Enix actually took to Twitter to issue an apology to fans who were unable to snag their copy on release day. The apology mentioned that fans might consider buying a digital copy instead of a physical one, though the implication was that they would do their best to restock as soon as possible.
However, Japan wasn’t the only country with shortages, as Amazon in the USA left potential players with a 1-2 month wait time on their order. Although the game was published by Square Enix in Japan, Nintendo is the international publisher, so evidently everyone (except the fans) were surprised by the demand.
In 2012, the same team behind Octopath Traveler made Bravely Default, which was also a huge seller—but the sales are nearly double for this new title, and apparently the hype is deserved. While we haven’t reviewed the game yet here at Nintendo Fire, early reviews elsewhere have been overwhelmingly positive.
Here’s hoping the restocks happen soon so everyone gets a chance to enjoy this breakout title.
