Square Enix announced upgraded Nintendo Switch 2 editions of Octopath Traveler 1 and 2 for an October 1 release. According to Kotaku, the publisher refuses to offer an upgrade path for current Nintendo Switch owners, instead charging full price for the visual improvements despite incompatible save data.
When Square Enix announced shiny new Nintendo Switch 2 editions of Octopath Traveler 1 and 2, it should have been straightforward good news. Both titles are meaty, gorgeous HD-2D role-playing games that stand to look even sharper with the improved resolution and framerate of Nintendo’s upgraded hardware. But according to Kotaku, Square Enix is insisting on charging full price for these visually buffed versions, regardless of whether a player already owns the original games on the first-generation Nintendo Switch.
According to Kotaku, tiny text at the final splash screen of the announcement trailer confirms that There are no plans to sell an upgrade pack to upgrade the Nintendo Switch version to the Nintendo Switch 2 version.
Both original games retail for $60 on the first Switch when not on sale, and the Switch 2 versions are expected to cost roughly the same amount. For players who already own the titles, paying another full $60 just for a marginally nicer-looking version is a tough pill to swallow. As Kotaku points out, many players would gladly shell out about $10 for an upgrade to a game they already own, meaning the publisher’s rigid pricing strategy is almost certainly leaving money on the table.
The financial hurdle is compounded by a technical frustration: save data is entirely incompatible between the two console versions. Even if a dedicated fan shells out the full price for the upgraded release, they cannot carry over their progress and must start the massive RPGs all over again from scratch.
This rigid stance is part of a wider, highly inconsistent upgrade strategy across Square Enix’s catalog that leaves many observers bewildered. While titles like the Dragon Quest remakes and Final Fantasy Tactics offer free upgrade paths from Switch 1 to Switch 2, other releases tell a different story. Romancing Saga 2 features a modest $10 upgrade fee, whereas Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade skips the original Switch entirely to launch exclusively on the Switch 2. Meanwhile, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster also arrives as a Switch 2 exclusive, a curious choice for a game with Nintendo DS origins.
For RPG fans who have somehow managed to skip the series entirely up to this point, the October 1 release date offers a clear path forward. New buyers can pick up physical copies individually, or purchase them digitally either separately or bundled. However, players are cautioned to double-check their purchases before checkout, as buying the wrong version leaves no free safety net or upgrade path.
For those who care more about saving money than chasing higher resolutions and smoother framerates, the original versions are currently sitting on deep discount on the first Nintendo Switch. That leaves a glaring unresolved question for the publisher’s broader library: why does Square Enix offer free or inexpensive upgrade paths for some classic franchise entries while slamming the door shut with full-price paywalls for others?
