Octopath Traveler has been removed from the Nintendo eShop, but you probably don’t need to worry

Earlier this week, it was discovered that Octopath Traveler, the HD-2D graphics-style role-playing game originally released in 2018 and brought to Square Enix, had been removed from the Nintendo eShop. There’s been no official announcement of its removal from the storefront, so this obviously comes as a bit of a surprise to some – the game is still available on other digital stores like Steam, so it’s not that the game will be completely inaccessible.as pointed out JasonHowever, Square Enix has been listed as the game’s publisher since at least December 2023, with Nintendo previously serving as the publisher for the game’s international releases.

This could indicate that the game is only temporarily off the shelves while some behind-the-scenes changes are being made. Without an official review from Square Enix, there’s no real way to know why the game is no longer available on the Switch eShop, although the game is still technically available digitally – you can just buy it from My Nintendo Store Its code is available in the online store.

While it’s now available on Switch, PC, and Xbox One, the game was initially only available on Nintendo platforms. Alex’s review of the game at the time said it was “a beautiful, challenging, and often brilliant throwback to the golden age of Japanese role-playing games, but hampered by an ambitious but ultimately flawed narrative structure.” It kind of undermines its chances of becoming a true classic.”

The game has since received two follow-ups, a mobile adaptation called Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent, which was released in Japan in 2020, followed by a global release in 2022; “Wayfarers 2”, its sequel will be launched in 2023 with a new cast of characters.