Submit a news tip



Masashi Takahashi

Fans of Octopath Traveler and its sequel might be wondering if Octopath Traveler III could be in the cards at some point, but the team behind the latest RPG isn’t making any commitments just yet. This was briefly brought up in an interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu.

Director Keisuke Miyauchi, producer Masashi Takahashi, and artist Naoki Ikushima participated in the chat. Takahashi would end up sharing some interesting insight into Octopath Traveler II, and specifically how the team decided to opt for evolution rather than making big changes to the core gameplay of the original.

Here’s our translation:

Octopath Traveler II is making some notable improvements over the first game, including how the protagonists have more interactions with each other. In the series’ first entry, the characters never really acknowledged each other.

Octopath Traveler II producer Masashi Takahashi and director Keisuke Miyauchi have now spoken about the approach to the main cast for the new title as part of an interview with Famitsu. Here’s what the two shared, as translated by Nintendo Everything:

Octopath Traveler II HD 2D

Octopath Traveler II is bringing back the HD-2D graphical style of the first game. However, with other Square Enix titles having made use of the look and thanks to more experience, the aesthetic has evolved.

Producer Masashi Takahashi and director Keisuke Miyauchi spoke more about this in an interview with Famitsu. We also get to hear the developers talk about the game’s camerawork and character proportions.

Here’s our translation:

Bravely Default II

After two games on 3DS, the Bravely series is seeing its debut on Switch with Bravely Default II. The new game launches next week.

Bravely Default II producer Masashi Takahashi recently spoke with Dengeki Online about making the new game for Switch. During the discussion, there was some talk about transitioning the franchise from 3DS, including the challenges of only having one screen. Takahashi also weighed in on how the team went about preserving the original art style.

Here’s our full translation:

Bravely Default II

In anticipation of its release, Square Enix released a demo of Bravely Default II on the eShop in March last year. In a recent interview with Famitsu, producer Masashi Takahashi spoke about the feedback the team received from fans who played it and revealed further improvements that weren’t detailed in the previous feedback video.

Takahashi stated the following, as translated by Nintendo Everything:

Bravely Default II

In a recent interview with Japanese publication Famitsu, Bravely Default II producer Masashi Takahashi commented on how the coronavirus pandemic impacted Bravely Default II’s development. Voice recording for foreign releases of the game had to be handled entirely remotely, and voice actors recorded from their homes while receiving coaching and guidance remotely. Takahashi also shared how the Japanese studios were impacted by the pandemic and why the team ultimately decided to delay the game.

Takahashi went on to say that the team needed extra time “in order to seriously address the opinions of fans who played the demo and produce something the development team was satisfied with”.

Nintendo Everything’s translation of the interview excerpts between Famitsu and Takahashi can be found below.

Bravely Default II

If you haven’t been keeping up with the Bravely series, now might be the time for a refresher. The franchise started out on Nintendo 3DS with Bravely Default, which was followed up with a direct sequel, Bravely Second. Now Square-Enix is readying a new game in the franchise, Bravely Default II, for Switch this year.

In an issue of Famitsu, Tomoya Asano (leader of the Asano Team) and Masashi Takahashi (producer) commented on how they settled on the final name. We heard a bit about this previously, but now we have the full explanation.

As translated by Nintendo Everything’s Oni Dino, the two shared the following:

Octopath Traveler

Famitsu caught up with a bunch of different developers in its latest issue this week to reflect on 2018 and look forward to the future. Octopath Traveler producers Tomoya Asano and Masashi Takahashi were among those who participated.

Asano started out by teasing that Square Enix Business Division 11 “is moving forward with the development of several games.” Meanwhile, Takahashi has expressed interest in doing more with Bravely, Octopath Traveler, and an entirely new series.

Nintendo sat down with Octopath Traveler producer Masashi Takahashi and director Keisuke Miyauchi for a chat about the Switch RPG. They spoke about lessons learned from the Bravely games, the art style, and more. Watch the interview below.

Nintendo published a few messages from the developers of Octopath Traveler on its website. Composer Yasunori Nishiki, director Keisuke Miyauchi, and producer Masashi Takahashi all had a few words to say as the game launches today.

Below are the full transcripts:


Manage Cookie Settings