Octopath Traveler 0 loses support due to unpopular Square Enix decisions

When Square Enix unveiled Octopath Traveler 0 during the latest Nintendo Direct, many fans of the classic RPG enthusiastically celebrated the announcement. But what promised to be one of the most anticipated releases of the year quickly became a source of disappointment for its player base. What went wrong?

The answer lies in a series of decisions that, one after another, have undermined the goodwill that Square Enix had managed to cultivate with previous installments of the series.

The first blow came with the confirmation that Octopath Traveler 0 will include Denuvo , the infamous anti-piracy system, in its PC version. This software is widely rejected by the gaming community due to its negative impact on game performance.

Denuvo runs constant checks to verify the legitimacy of the copy in use, which consumes system resources and can affect both the fluidity and stability of the title. The worst part: many titles that implemented it ended up removing it months later due to widespread complaints.

Another point of controversy has been the physical version of the game on Nintendo Switch 2 , which will use so-called Game-Key Cards . This system forces the player to insert the cartridge to start a digital download, eliminating the ability to play directly from the cartridge, something that many see as a betrayal of the concept of a physical format.

Furthermore, it has been confirmed that it will not be compatible between consoles : those who buy this version for Switch 2 will not be able to use it on the first generation of Nintendo Switch, something that has further irritated collectors and traditional players.

Perhaps the final straw was the announcement of the available languages : English, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. And Spanish? Absent. This has sparked a wave of outrage in the Spanish-speaking community , especially since the previous installments of the franchise were localized into Spanish.

Square Enix has offered no explanation, which has fueled outrage and led many users to boycott the release or demand a correction before the official launch.

The game will arrive on December 4th on multiple platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. However, the damage has already been done: the conversation on social networks revolves around discontent instead of enthusiasm. The story of Octopath Traveler 0 has gone in a matter of days from being an anticipated success story to a warning about how bad marketing and distribution decisions can damage an established IP .