Square Enix explains why it brought back Bravely Default for Nintendo Switch 2

The developers behind Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster have spoken about why Square Enix revisited the game for Nintendo Switch 2.

You can actually chalk this one up to timing. Square Enix was thinking about ways to celebrate the series’ tenth anniversary, which could have happened with a new game or a remake. Square Enix ultimately settled on a remaster, and it just so happened that the development schedule overlapped with Nintendo Switch 2’s launch.

Bravely series producer Tomoya Asano and HD Remaster producer Naofumi Matsushita shared the following in a recent interview:

Asano-san: Around Spring 2022, we talked within the team about the upcoming 10th anniversary of the series and what we could do to please our fans.

Masashi Takahashi, the assistant producer of the original game, became especially emotional during the discussion, saying, “Come on, it’s the 10th anniversary!” (laughs).

We considered various things, including creating a new title or a remake, but we settled on the goal making the first title playable in today’s gaming environment.

I tried asking Matsushita-san: “It’s the 10th anniversary in six months, do you think it’s possible?”, but obviously it wasn’t (laughs). While adjusting the development schedule, it overlapped with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, so we were blessed in terms of timing.

Matsushita-san: Around the time when we were discussing all that, it was announced that the Nintendo 3DS eShop would be discontinued in March 2023. So, I was tasked with dealing with that, and the considerable response from both Japanese and western fans that they didn’t want it to close and still wanted to use the online functionality.

I was so moved that there are still many passionate fans who want to play the game and thought that it would be amazing if we could release a title to satisfy them. We couldn’t make it in time for the 10th anniversary (laughs). But I renewed my determination to develop the remaster.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is now available. For further Nintendo Switch coverage, check out this page.