Nintendo Octopath Traveler developer: we created a game we wanted to play "as Japanese developers," we'll make more than Switch games

[SaysWho?]

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-07-12-we-just-created-the-game-that-we-wanted-to-play-as-japanese-developers

 

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You might have noticed that at one point Square Enix tried to make games for the whole world - not just for the Japanese market. We tried to make global games for everyone. On the opposite side, though, with Bravely Default - we really thought it'd just be for Japanese people. But when it was released, Nintendo got in touch and said many players outside of Japan would like to play the game. So what could we do? Together we released a game, even though at first we had no intention of selling it outside of Japan. Finally, it did well! The sales were good outside of Japan.

...

That's when I realised that we had no need to try and fit to the tendencies of western users. I discovered that, I'm Japanese, and with Octopath Traveler we just wanted to make a game we'd like ourselves, and if we like the game maybe western people would also play this game. When we started development of Octopath, we decided that it'd be a worldwide release. We didn't put in any features for western gamers, though - we just created the game that we wanted to play as Japanese developers.

 

And on development of future games:

 

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"...[y]es, we worked on Octopath Traveler and we're working on Switch titles, but that doesn't mean we're only working on Switch titles."

...

As for the future of Octopath Traveler, Takahashi has already announced - to some jubilation from fans - that there won't be any DLC coming for the game. "We really want the first concept we sell at full price to be 100 per cent of the game," he says - something in stark, almost pointed contrast to the way Final Fantasy 15 was dealt with elsewhere within Square Enix - "so there won't be any DLC in the future. As for Octopath as a series, it depends on the sales - if the players like the game it could be an opportunity, yes...

 

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"To tell the truth I've no intention and no wish to go back to the Final Fantasy franchise. After my studio became a division, and Square told us to make new IPs. There's no need and no intention to go back to Final Fantasy. A lot of people ask us to do a remake of Final Fantasy 6 with this kind of graphics. My role, though, is to make new ideas," Takahashi says as our brief time together with him and composer Nishiki comes to an end, before he brings it back to where it all began. "I hope that people who enjoy RPGs will grow up with their kids, and be able to pass that on."

 

[Xbob42]

There's one feature I want to cater to Westerners: A story worth caring about! Square hasn't been concerned with that in a long time.

[Keyser_Soze]

Moral of the story: Make what you want and if it is good anyone will enjoy it.

[darkness35]

1 hour ago, Xbob42 said:

There's one feature I want to cater to Westerners: A story worth caring about! Square hasn't been concerned with that in a long time.

So no story? Ok.

[GameDadGrant]

8 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

Moral of the story: Make what you want and if it is good anyone will enjoy it.

QFT

[Paperclyp]

9 hours ago, Xbob42 said:

There's one feature I want to cater to Westerners: A story worth caring about! Square hasn't been concerned with that in a long time.

Yeah I’m enjoying Octopath a lot, and I almost prefer their little separate boring stories as opposed to a straight up bad big story, but they should bring in some outside talent to write something good for a game like octo.