Octopath Traveler ships 1 million copies worldwide weeks after release

Square Enix’s Nintendo Switch-exclusive role-playing game Octopath Traveler has been doing exceedingly well for itself, having reached an impressive milestone. The game has now shipped one million copies worldwide, cementing its status as one of the system’s best-sellers, the official Nintendo of Europe Twitter account announced earlier today.

Square Enix’s Nintendo Switch-exclusive role-playing game Octopath Traveler has been doing exceedingly well for itself, having reached an impressive milestone. The game has now shipped one million copies worldwide, cementing its status as one of the system’s best-sellers, the official Nintendo of Europe Twitter account announced earlier today.

The sales number is even more impressive when you consider that the game has only been officially on store shelves for three weeks after it debuted in July. Shortly after it was released, retailers began seeing shortages of the game, with Square Enix issuing apologies for the unexpected demand and instead prompting would-be buyers to pick up downloadable versions of the game instead.

The tweet relays the developers at Square Enix’s thanks to fans for “making this possible,” and it is indeed the fans who brought this about. After completely selling out in Japan and becoming quite scarce in the US as well, it’s become a hot commodity that people can’t get enough of. 

Octopath Traveler’s retro-tinged turn-based RPG mechanics have attracted fans looking for something meatier than what the current Switch role-playing offerings have afforded. The game offers a cross between traditional JRPG gameplay and modern graphics mixed with classic sensibilities. There are eight different protagonists at the onset of the game that players can choose from, with a gradual progression through the rest of the personalities in a custom order. Its turn-based battles are familiar, but also include intuitive mechanics that offer a fresh twist on the RPGs of yesteryear. 

It’s clear Square Enix stumbled on to something special with this game, so it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw more games coming in the future that share similar art styles and story elements. No one would be complaining about that, that’s for sure.