Support NeoGAF

[adamsapple]

I did.

while the interview doesn't ask anything about Xbox. the fact is that the first game was on xbox and the sequel isn't.

you can clearly deduce that Xbox sells AND game pass engagement was pretty low.

I think there's a point to be made that even the first one was a late arrival on Xbox, not a day-and-date release. IIRC it was 3 years after the games initial Switch launch. And it never even hit the PS4 despite a lot of fan demand for it back in the day.

Square's decision making is and always has been bizarre, to say the least. Just look at how scatter shot their 2022 output was.

TL;DR I expect Octo 2 to release on game pass within the next 12~ months, probably day 1 on game pass like the first one.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Sure, but he wasn't asked why Octopath Traveller 2 wasn't on Xbox. He was asked why it was on Playstation. Both the tweet and the title are framed as if he was answering the former question instead of the latter.

You can certainly speculate that his answer is also the reason why the game wasn't released on Xbox, but framing his quote as if he said as much himself is either dumb or deceptive.

that is why i was confused.

but i am totally disregarding the interview or the narrative/interpretation/framing of it.

I am thinking of the common argument about the dynamic of Game Pass.

the virality/exposure and how these increase sales.

in other words:

Octo 1 on Game Pass + people giving it a try = exposure and virality.

octo 2 releases on Xbox (No Game Pass). and because of the "free" exposure of the first one = more sales.

the fact that Octo 2 is skipping Xbox at all is a sign that Octo 2's (I meant 1) GP engagement was low.

 

[feynoob]

that is why i was confused.

but i am totally disregarding the interview or the narrative/interpretation/framing of it.

I am thinking of the common argument about the dynamic of Game Pass.

the virality/exposure and how these increase sales.

in other words:

Octo 1 on Game Pass + people giving it a try = exposure and virality.

octo 2 releases on Xbox (No Game Pass). and because of the "free" exposure of the first one = more sales.

the fact that Octo 2 is skipping Xbox at all is a sign that Octo 2's GP engagement was low.

I dont think its the sales.

Octopath traveler 1 was released on xbox in 3/24/2021, while the 2nd one hit PS February 9, 2023.

Unless square has fast magic and this game takes 6 months to make, i doubt sales were the reason as to why its not on xbox.

The likely answer would be gamepass. They want to squeeze money from PC, Switch and PS first, then get MS gamepass money. This way they get to make more money.



It seems the game is not selling very well for them at the moment.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

I think there's a point to be made that even the first one was a late arrival on Xbox, not a day-and-date release. IIRC it was 3 years after the games initial Switch launch. And it never even hit the PS4 despite a lot of fan demand for it back in the day.

Square's decision making is and always has been bizarre, to say the least. Just look at how scatter shot their 2022 output was.

TL;DR I expect Octo 2 to release on game pass within the next 12~ months, probably day 1 on game pass like the first one.

that is the other point. SE's strategy felt very weird.

I wonder if Octo 2 even had the proper marketing budget.

I dont think its the sales.

Octopath traveler 1 was released on xbox in 3/24/2021, while the 2nd one hit PS February 9, 2023.

Unless square has fast magic and this game takes 6 months to make, i doubt sales were the reason as to why its not on xbox.

The likely answer would be gamepass. They want to squeeze money from PC, Switch and PS first, then get MS gamepass money. This way they get to make more money.



It seems the game is not selling very well for them at the moment.

i am talking about the common argument i have seen regarding Game Pass benefits.

 

[feynoob]

i am talking about the common argument i have seen regarding Game Pass benefits.

Gamepass benifits applies to a new series. It wont work on octopath, because its a 3 years game. Plus the game isnt even on xbox.
It would have been a different topic, if it was on xbox.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

that is why i was confused.

but i am totally disregarding the interview or the narrative/interpretation/framing of it.

I am thinking of the common argument about the dynamic of Game Pass.

the virality/exposure and how these increase sales.

in other words:

Octo 1 on Game Pass + people giving it a try = exposure and virality.

octo 2 releases on Xbox (No Game Pass). and because of the "free" exposure of the first one = more sales.

the fact that Octo 2 is skipping Xbox at all is a sign that Octo 2's GP engagement was low.

The achievement stats prove as much.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Gamepass benifits applies to a new series. It wont work on octopath, because its a 3 years game. Plus the game isnt even on xbox.
It would have been a different topic, if it was on xbox.

that is the point

Octo 1 on Game Pass = "free" exposure.

then octo 2 releases on Xbox = more sales.

that is the arguments being made.

 

[adamsapple]

that is the point

Octo 1 on Game Pass = "free" exposure.

then octo 2 releases on Xbox = more sales.

that is the arguments being made.

Square "we don't know what the fuck we're doing" Enix.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Square "we don't know what the fuck we're doing" Enix.

oh yeah. SE has been a cluster fuck since Square Enix is a thing.

 

[Corndog]

Dude, porting a game between PC and Xbox is not as easy as you think, are you gonna be obtuse about it like our GOW arguments a few months ago or will you finally accept that you might be wrong ?

Really. Please electorate since you’re an expert. I also don’t know what GOW argument you are talking about. The only one I remember is about it being delayed which it was.

Edited. Can’t remember if it was twice.

 

[Deleted member 471617]

Well, at least this thread/game is an example of just because you put something out on a platform with more units sold, doesn't mean it's gonna sell.

Octo 2 has been pretty lackluster in sales till now.

Agreed.

 

[Ozriel]

Interview was about what made Square release Octopath 2 on PlayStation. Square says they decided to put it on PlayStation after seeing sales of other titles.

GAF thread title spins it to “why Octopath 2 isn’t on Xbox” and the whole thread goes along with this farce.

Never seen this type of scam happen before, but it’s hilarious as fuck.

 

[Barakov]

Wat?.

so:
Octo 1 was:
Nintendo
Xbox
PlayStation



Octo 2:
Nintendo
PlayStation
Xbox

but then:

something is very weird about this.

Cry more, cryer.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Eh, I'd say "pick your battles" because this isn't really a hill to die on. It's pretty well known that a lot of Xbox players tend to prefer Western games over others. I don't know many Xbox players who dig a lot of Japanese games, outside the more obvious titles like Lost Odyssey.

Having said that, it does seem like SE has some kind of hate boner for Xbox lately.

 

[Kumomeme]

Apart from that, we made the decision internally after observing the sales of other titles.

 

[solidus12]

There is no surprise biggest audience for this type of game are in Playstation and Nintendo, not on Xbox.

If you are fan of Japanese games, you buy Playstation, Nintendo and even PC over Xbox.

But Phil Spencer travelled 8 times to Japan

 

[Danjin44]

But Phil Spencer travelled 8 times to Japan

Microsoft tried their best, they really did but it almost has no market in Japan and majority of their fanbase is not interest in JRPG. Most people who are in to JRPGs and other Japanese games either own PS5 or Switch or even both (like me).

And if you like Xbox exclusives games and JRPGs you better off with PC, unlike Xbox they do get niche JRPGs like Octopath 2 and Atelier Ryza 3.

 

[Goalus]

It's very cheap to buy exclusivity for PlayStation because they have a much higher selling set of consoles and an audience with a higher propensity to buy games, particularly of this kind.

That's why for MS it makes more sense to buy developers and publishers of interest than to buy exclusivity for games.

 

[DenchDeckard]

If you actually read what he is saying, he is not saying anything close to what you guys think lol.

He is talking about why number 1 isn't on playstation and why they made 2 on playstation day one.

Plus the first game launched day one on gamepass right? Maybe it comes to xbox later on on gamepass, or square finally gets bought by playstation within the next 18 months.

 

[Three]

He said it didn't release on "other platforms" because of low sales for those games.

Let's see. Octopath Traveler 2 released on PlayStation, Switch and PC. What other platforms do you really think he was referring to?

Where did he say that though? I don't see it. Maybe I'm being stupid.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Joke’s on you you clowns, I played OT1 on Xbox and would definitely buy 2 at the first discount, but you do you as usual.
Just admit you’re full of shit and that phrase about OT1 not being on PS is dumber even than your average. You don’t seem to have problems releasing your half-assed old FF “remasters“ to everything under the sun for some reason.

 

[nowhat]

Maybe Phil collins could take over Konami...It can't be worse.

It would be another day in paradise.

 

[Three]

Gamepass benifits applies to a new series. It wont work on octopath, because its a 3 years game. Plus the game isnt even on xbox.
It would have been a different topic, if it was on xbox.

Octopath was a new series.

 

[Three]

That's probably because the sequel is selling less than the original despite being on four platforms (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch) with larger user install bases than the original game which launch on only Switch back in 2018.

So many people believe that Square Enix doesn't port games to Xbox because no one buys them when the reality is that Square Enix just fucking sucks and doesn't know what they're doing. Of course, they're probably just waiting for a Game Pass payday then the port will come real quick. lol

Square Enix only seems to care about is Final Fantasy.

And you think xbox would have turned the tides? What would you have done differently? The game has good reviews and released on platforms it would sell the most on. If you think the ROI is not there on these platforms they would have only lost more on an xbox release.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Microsoft tried their best, they really did but it almost has no market in Japan and majority of their fanbase is not interest in JRPG. Most people who are in to JRPGs and other Japanese games either own PS5 or Switch or even both (like me).

And if you like Xbox exclusives games and JRPGs you better off with PC, unlike Xbox they do get niche JRPGs like Octopath 2 and Atelier Ryza 3.

Yet, it looks like hardly any of the switch or ps5 fan base is buying this game either....so I'm not sure what the explanation for that is.

 

[azertydu91]

Really. Please electorate since you’re an expert. I also don’t know what GOW argument you are talking about. The only one I remember is about it being delayed which it was.

Edited. Can’t remember if it was twice.

Oh I am no expert but you seem to be mixing PC dev and Xbox API...Developping on Xbox then pôrting to PC basically require little to no extra work since it is embed in the API but it doesn't work the other way around, something you don't seem to know.Using that logic why isn't evey PC game on Xbox, it is free money.
The argument about GOW was you not willing to admit that it wasn't a 2023 game something that a lot of user and a few pages still don't seem to change anything you are obtise and unwilling to understand anything that isn't already your opinion.And since you were incapable of admitting your mistake that gow was not delayed into 2023 'something that is factual) then I doubt you'll be able to do much about something a bit more complicated that pc games on xbox are basically free....

For those interested here's the thread where C Corndog was incapable of understanding that GOW hasn't been delayed into 2023, something he is apparently still incapable of doing.

 

[TheGodfather07]

Either Sony pay for Octopath 2 or SE saw the original game’s sales numbers for Xbox and thought its not worth it.

the big hint is that its releasing on switch too.

 

[Corndog]

There is no certification for putting a game on PC, so the PC code doesn't HAVE to work properly. It is the PC player's job to fix any issues. I can always tell when someone talk about PC gaming while never having played.

I’m talking about console certification. If you were following the conversation it was about being fairly easy to port a game from pc to Xbox in this case. Especially since the UI has already been done for other consoles. Plus is uses UE4 for the game engine.

P.S. I primarily game on pc since I have an rtx 3070. I’ve probably gamed on pc longer than you’ve been alive.

 

[DenchDeckard]

And you think xbox would have turned the tides? What would you have done differently? The game has good reviews and released on platforms it would sell the most on. If you think the ROI is not there on these platforms they would have only lost more on an xbox release.

As long as pappa phils cheque book covers the port cost, which shouldn't be much from windows 11 we should see it on gamepass within a year or so.

 

[Skifi28]

But Phil Spencer travelled 8 times to Japan

And I still haven't been there once. I never thought I'd say this, but I have to be more like Phil.

 

[Three]

Yet, it looks like hardly any of the switch or ps5 fan base is buying this game either....so I'm not sure what the explanation for that is.

That's how a certain sour grapes group want to spin it. You're basing this on first week sales in Japan only which were 109,000 for Octo 1 and 78,000 for Octo 2. This is just in Japan, where switch rules and that's not even including digital for Octo 2 because the newly added platforms PC and PS5 sway more digital. They are likely to have outsold Octo 1 globally by a fair margin.

 

[jm89]

But Phil Spencer travelled 8 times to Japan

It's his annual port begging tours.

 

[Corndog]

Oh I am no expert but you seem to be mixing PC dev and Xbox API...Developping on Xbox then pôrting to PC basically require little to no extra work since it is embed in the API but it doesn't work the other way around, something you don't seem to know.Using that logic why isn't evey PC game on Xbox, it is free money.
The argument about GOW was you not willing to admit that it wasn't a 2023 game something that a lot of user and a few pages still don't seem to change anything you are obtise and unwilling to understand anything that isn't already your opinion.And since you were incapable of admitting your mistake that gow was not delayed into 2023 'something that is factual) then I doubt you'll be able to do much about something a bit more complicated that pc games on xbox are basically free....

For those interested here's the thread where C Corndog was incapable of understanding that GOW hasn't been delayed into 2023, something he is apparently still incapable of doing.

The game is developed on UE4 and the UI is already ported for the other 2 consoles. So ya, it shouldn’t be hard. Mainly Xbox specific UI, achievements,etc.

And no you are still wrong on my GOW stance. A poster in that thread from last year said starfield was officially delayed while GOW wasn’t. I said that was factually incorrect because GOW was already delayed. That is a fact. Here is the proof since you are so stubborn.

Below is the first trailer for GOW:R. At the 50 second mark what year does it say it will be released? It says 2021. Did it come out in 2021? No, it didn’t. So I am not wrong when I said the game was delayed. Because it was.

 

[feynoob]

Octopath was a new series.

Took 3 years to hit Xbox. It wasn't 1 year game.

 

[Three]

The game is developed on UE4 and the UI is already ported for the other 2 consoles. So ya, it shouldn’t be hard. Mainly Xbox specific UI, achievements,etc.

It's not that easy, and I guess QA just pays for itself too?

 

[azertydu91]

The game is developed on UE4 and the UI is already ported for the other 2 consoles. So ya, it shouldn’t be hard. Mainly Xbox specific UI, achievements,etc.

And no you are still wrong on my GOW stance. A poster in that thread from last year said starfield was officially delayed while GOW wasn’t. I said that was factually incorrect because GOW was already delayed. That is a fact. Here is the proof since you are so stubborn.

Below is the first trailer for GOW:R. At the 50 second mark what year does it say it will be released? It says 2021. Did it come out in 2021? No, it didn’t. So I am not wrong when I said the game was delayed. Because it was.

Fucking hell man I clearly told you that it is not that it was never delayed just not into 2023 how hard is it to understand?Do you not speak english? look at the link I provided, I explained it to you multiple times and as clearly as possible...No wonder you don't understand that porting a games isn't free...Especially when the sales aren't there, because you still haven't answered why most PC aren't on Xbox then, if it is so easy to do ....You seem to see things on a solely superficial level not undertstanding that there is still a mountain of work to do to port a game, sure it is still way less than it used to be but it is still a lot of work but I'm sure you'll disagree with your usual sourceude trust me.....SO I will leave it at that since you are incapable of understanding other people opinion.

 

[Poltz]

The easiest way for this to be resolved is for publishers to post the sales numbers or percentages on each platform but we know that will never happen.

 

[azertydu91]

It's not that easy, and I guess QA just pays for itself too?

Fuck Q&A if it is on PC and the UI works for console it is already done....Just like I can put a blueray in my Cd player if I write CD on it.

 

[BbMajor7th]

That kind of makes sense, I would imagine Sony would had to pay A LOT more money to prevent from releasing on Switch.

This is not how it works, at all. I'm not saying it's never happened, but the vast majority of exclusivity deals are nothing to do with a platform holder making a payout.

Publishers make money from creating and selling successful products, not from selling exclusivity to platform holders. The exclusivity deals that they make - when they make them - are almost always about securing marketing and promotional support from platform holders. Promotional support from platform holders is worth FAR MORE than an upfront cash payout. Why? Because platform holders can reach millions of users and expand market reach for a product in a way that publishers can't. Publishers only have data on people who already play their games, and only if they have an account system and then only if those players have signed up to it (this is why publishers have been pushing to create their own account platforms).

Platform holders have data on everyone who plays on their systems, what types of games they play, and where they buy them. Privacy laws largely prevent them from sharing this data, but they absolutely can market on your behalf - that's what these deals do. Their marketing and promotional penetration, along with their brand power and resources, lend the kind of support that can make the difference between launching a successful new IP that becomes a long-term asset for a publisher or publishing a successful product that fails to find an audience.

 

[Three]

The easiest way for this to be resolved is for publishers to post the sales numbers or percentages on each platform but we know that will never happen.

Even if they were to do that people would still find a reason as to why it sold less on xbox. See example below with FFXV selling 20%

FFXV stinks. Can’t blame anyone for not buying it.

As if xbox users have better taste or something for a percentage to change.

 

[feynoob]

Even if they were to do that people would still find a reason as to why it sold less on xbox. See example below with FFXV selling 20%

The reason is simple. Japan.

And the fact that people have multiple console.

for example, Captain Toad has both PS and xbox.he logs in to his PS and buy ff15. This results in increase of PS copies, while decreasing Xbox copies, because he has both systems.

As long as that variable exist, we will never know the true sales of those games, due to those users buying the game on either platforms.

 

[Corndog]

That's how a certain sour grapes group want to spin it. You're basing this on first week sales in Japan only which were 109,000 for Octo 1 and 78,000 for Octo 2. This is just in Japan, where switch rules and that's not even including digital for Octo 2 because the newly added platforms PC and PS5 sway more digital. They are likely to have outsold Octo 1 globally by a fair margin.

It came out on more platforms. Original debuted on the switch. 2 came out on switch, ps5, ps4, and pc.

 

[DenchDeckard]

That's how a certain sour grapes group want to spin it. You're basing this on first week sales in Japan only which were 109,000 for Octo 1 and 78,000 for Octo 2. This is just in Japan, where switch rules and that's not even including digital for Octo 2 because the newly added platforms PC and PS5 sway more digital. They are likely to have outsold Octo 1 globally by a fair margin.

I bought it on steam, its awesome on steam deck. Great game. Hopefully it is doing considerably better than the first.

 

[Corndog]

Yet, it looks like hardly any of the switch or ps5 fan base is buying this game either....so I'm not sure what the explanation for that is.

In Japan they don’t seem to be.

I checked the famitsu chart for weekly and total sales for the game in Japan.

The last week of march in came in at 17th place with sales of 3568 for the week on the switch. The ps4 and ps5 sale were so low they didn’t chart at all.

I had to go back to the second week of march before ps5 sales showed up. Here they are.

PS5] Octopath Traveler II (Square Enix, 02/24/23) – 2,421 (21,188)

So it sold 2400 copies for the week and 21k total on ps5. Square must be rolling in the dough.

 

[Three]

It came out on more platforms. Original debuted on the switch. 2 came out on switch, ps5, ps4, and pc.

Exactly and most of those sales would be outside of Japan whereas in Japan they would be mainly on Switch. Meaning 78,000 vs 109,000 really isn't that bad especially when you consider digital sales (mostly on other platforms) and added global sales on Steam, PS4/PS5. It likely would outsell the first.

 

[Poltz]

The reason is simple. Japan.

And the fact that people have multiple console.

for example, Captain Toad has both PS and xbox.he logs in to his PS and buy ff15. This results in increase of PS copies, while decreasing Xbox copies, because he has both systems.

As long as that variable exist, we will never know the true sales of those games, due to those users buying the game on either platforms.

This is wrong, a sale is a sale for whatever reason.

 

[Corndog]

It's not that easy, and I guess QA just pays for itself too?

Of course not. But most bugs on Xbox would also be on pc. I’m not saying it’s free. I’m saying it’s a tiny cost compared to what they have already invested.

 

[feynoob]

This is wrong, a sale is a sale for whatever reason.

A sale is a sale, except you as the user is the one who is making that sale.

Your purchase place impacts those sales.

If you have both systems, but you spend your money on 1 system alot, then your purchases is impacting that system, while affecting the other system.

People are not 1 console person these days

 

[Corndog]

Exactly and most of those sales would be outside of Japan whereas in Japan they would be mainly on Switch. Meaning 78,000 vs 109,000 really isn't that bad especially when you consider digital sales (mostly on other platforms) and added global sales on Steam, PS4/PS5. It likely would outsell the first.

I actually think it looks worse. More platforms should mean more sales. The only one with decent sales is the switch.

I have no idea on digital vs physical. It could be possible that everyone is buying digital.

 

[Killer8]

Well Octopath immediately went onto Game Pass so not at all surprising it didn't actually 'sell'.