The HD-2D art style pioneered by Team Asano with the originalOctopath Travelerhas proven to have a legacy that extends well beyond its source, going on to inspire plenty of other modern JRPGs and serving as a foundation for how classics in the genre can be remade for modern audiences. Following its work on this year’sDragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, Team Asano was known to be working on similar remakes of the first two titles in theDragon Questseries, but recent comments from studio head Tomoya Asano seem to point to the team having multiple 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 as to what those projects might be.
In a recent interview with 4Gamer,Asanowas 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 entry in theBravely Defaultseries was in development, along with the official confirmation from Square Enix that theDragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remakewould be arriving sometime in “early 2025”. But aside from the strong possibility that Team Asano might be preparing to release another game in theBravely Defaultseries, some other titles could potentially see the light of day as part of the studio’s release schedule for the year.
Predicting What Team Asano Could Be Working on For Release in 2025
Bravely Default 3
The first, and most obvious, candidate to be one of Team Asano’s 2025 projects is the follow-up toBravely Default 2. Since its initial release, the officialsequel toBravely Defaulthas enjoyed a long tail of success thanks to its eventual PC port, and the gap between its launch in 2021 and now makes it the most likely candidate to receive a new entry. Whether this newBravely Defaultgame is a mainline sequel (e.g.Bravely Default 3) or a semi-sequel spin-off akin toBravely Secondremains to be seen, but the leaks from earlier in 2024 point to a new entry in the series being not a matter of if, but when.
Octopath Traveler 3
Other thanBravely Default,Octopath Traveleris perhaps Team Asano’s most well-known and beloved IP, even going on to pioneer and popularize the HD-2D art style. TheoriginalOctopath Travelerwas enjoyed by both critics and fans, but its sequel was even more successful, withOctopath Traveler 2going on to sell over a million units in a fairly short amount of time and even racking up several nominations from various game award ceremonies.Octopath Traveler 2was released in 2023, which makes a 2025 launch of a sequel unlikely, but there’s a possibility of Team Asano at least revealing thatOctopath Traveler 3is in development.
Triangle Strategy Sequel
One possible release that would be a pleasant surprise for turn-based tactics enthusiasts would be a sequel toTriangle Strategy. Despite being a more niche title that enjoyed moderate success on the Nintendo Switch and PC, Team Asano did release aVRversion of the title this year, which means the property is likely front of mind thanks to the recency of its Meta Quest port. Should one of the titles Team Asano is working on for 2025 end up being aTriangle Strategysequel, there’s a strong possibility it will arrive as a multi-platform title, perhaps with a VR version at launch.
Live a Live Sequel
One of the more surprising reveals Team Asano could make would be for aLive A Livesequel. Originally released on the Super Famicom in 1994,Live A Liveis a Japan-onlySquare RPGthat finally made its way to the West courtesy of Team Asano’s 2023 remake, to strong positive acclaim from both critics and players. While it might not be as likely as some of the other games Team Asano could reveal or release in 2025, it’s worth noting that the studio has previously said it would love to do a sequel following the remake, potentially delivering a follow-up more than 30 years in the making.
