The HD 2D art style created by Team Asano with the original Octopath Traveler has proven to have a legacy that extends far beyond its source, continuing to inspire many other modern JRPGs and serving as a foundation for how classics in the genre can be remade for modern audiences. After his work with this year's Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D RemakeTeam Asano was known to work on similar remakes of the first two titles in the Dragon Quest series, but recent comments from studio head Tomoya Asano seem to point to the team having several projects slated for release in 2025. Given the studio's work on original IP and its penchant for reimagining classic games, this opens up plenty of theories about what they're up to can be.
In a recent interview with 4Gamer, Asano was quoted as saying that the team had “various things” it was working on for release in 2025. This follows a leak earlier in 2024 that a new post in Bravely Default series was in development, along with the official confirmation from Square Enix that Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake should arrive sometime in “early 2025”. But aside from the strong possibility that Team Asano might be preparing to release another game in the Bravely Default series, some other titles could potentially see the light of day as part of the studio's release schedule for the year.
Family
What the release of the Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D remake could mean for the future of the series
In the wake of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake's release, there is an ocean of possibilities for where Square Enix could take the legendary franchise.
Predict which team Asano could work with for 2025 release
Bravely Default 3
The first, and most obvious, candidate to be one of Team Asano's 2025 projects is the follow-up to Bravely Default 2. Since the first release, the official sequel to Bravely Default has had a long tail of success thanks to its eventual PC port, and the gap between its 2021 launch and now makes it the most likely candidate to receive another entry. Regardless of whether this is new Bravely Default the game is a mainline sequel (eg Bravely Default 3) or a semi-sequel spin-off similar Bravely Second remains to be seen, but the leaks from earlier in 2024 point to a new entry in the series not being a matter of if, but when.
Octopath Traveler 3
But Bravely Default, Octopath Traveler is perhaps Team Asano's most well-known and beloved IP, and even continues to pioneer and popularize the HD-2D art style. The original Octopath Traveler was enjoyed by critics and fans alike, but its sequel was even more successful, with Octopath Traveler 2 will sell over a million units in a fairly short period of time and even garner multiple nominations from various gaming award ceremonies. Octopath Traveler 2 was released in 2023, making a 2025 launch of a sequel unlikely, but there is a possibility that Team Asano will at least reveal it Octopath Traveler 3 is under development.
Triangle Strategy Sequel
A possible release that would be a pleasant surprise for turn-based tactics enthusiasts would be a sequel to one more Triangle strategy. Despite being a more niche title that saw moderate success on Nintendo Switch and PC, Team Asano released a VR version of the title this year, meaning the property is likely top of mind thanks to its recent Meta Quest port . Should one of the titles that Team Asano is working on for 2025 end up in one Triangle strategy sequel, there is a strong possibility that it will come as a multi-platform title, perhaps with a VR version at launch.
Live a live sequel
One of the more surprising revelations that Team Asano could make would be for one Live A Live continuation. Originally released on the Super Famicom in 1994, Live A Live is a Japan-only Square RPG that finally made its way to the West thanks to Team Asano's 2023 remake, to strong positive acclaim from critics and players alike. While it may not be as likely as some of the other games that Team Asano could reveal or release in 2025, it's worth noting that the studio has previously said that they would love to make a sequel after the remake, potentially giving a sequel more than 30 years on the way.
Bravely Default 2
- Released
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February 26, 2021
- Publisher
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Nintendo
- How long to beat
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50 hours
- OpenCritic Rating
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Strong