In a bit of a shocker, Square Enix was present at The Game Awards with more than just Final Fantasy 7 Remake. After a demo reel showed off credits from last year’s Octopath Traveler, a title card popped up and revealed that Bravely Default 2 will be heading to Switch next year. I suppose we’re just going to ignore that Bravely Second was a thing.
Obviously still early in development, Bravely Default 2 is clearly a more direct sequel to the 3DS original than Bravely Second. Showcasing some nice artwork and sweeping landscapes, I’m guessing the 2 moniker comes from the fact that this party of characters is completely original from the first game.
As for the team behind this, the game will be co-developed by Team Asano and Claytechworks. Reno is returning to compose the soundtrack, which you can get a short sample of in the trailer below. Bravely Default 2 is currently slated for a 2020 release and will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive when it does come out.
After years of stepping away from its roots, Square Enix released Bravely Default into the world. Heralded as a return to form, the game was met with acclaim from fans and critics alike. Many were happy that traditional, turn-based JRPGs weren’t completely dead. After finding success, a sequel titled Bravely Second hit the 3DS and the series kind of went dormant for a bit.
The team behind this series wasn’t dismantled, though. They bound together and created Octopath Traveler for the Switch. A sort of testbed for Nintendo’s new console, Square Enix released the game with the idea that it would return to the Bravely series should Nintendo’s console not be a fluke. Obviously things went well, especially with Octopath making its way to PC.
With the developers having proven themselves three times over now, it was only a matter of time before a new Bravely Default would get greenlit. It’s strange that Square Enix wasn’t teasing this earlier in the year, but at least we’re getting a continuation of the series. There’s an audience dying to get more traditional RPGs and it would be a shame for that to die off.
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