Square Enix has recently embraced the HD-2D art style with their JPRGs. Whether it's new releases, such as the Octopath Traveler franchise or the recent Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, the art style combines the charm of the old-school aesthetic with the beauty of modern graphics.

However, the famed developer is cautious about excessively using the art style.

Masaaki Hayasakas, the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake producer, recently spoke with Bloomberg to celebrate the game's release. He mentions that development on the game began in 2018, following the release of Octopath Traveler. The new JRPG franchise features a unique art style, dubbed "HD-2D," that combines two-dimensional sprites with gorgeous 3D backgrounds and an HD polish. Naturally, the art style lends well to remakes of beloved old-school RPGs, such as Dragon Quest III.

Octopath Traveler's success led to a sequel in 2023, and the Dragon Quest team adopted the art style for remakes of the franchise's first three games. Dragon Quest III H2-2D Remake is now available, with Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake set to release in 2025.

Dragon Quest fans hope to see more entries in the popular franchise remade, and Hayaska is considering that. However, he's also making sure that he doesn't fill the market with too many HD-2D games.

"If we were to release too many games in succession, that would lead to people being bored of those games," he told Bloomberg. "On the flipside, if there's too much of a span between launches, that can also lead to the series not seeming as vibrant and robust anymore. It's a sensitive topic. It's something that even my supervisors are constantly unsure and mulling over."

On the surface, Square Enix has not released many HD-2D games. Then again, this is the video game industry. If there's one thing publishers are good at, it's oversaturating a market with a popular trend. The obvious example is the abundance of live service games that have flooded the market over the past decade. Square Enix seems aware that the art style works best when it makes sense. We'll see what that means for the future of the Dragon Quest franchise if they decide to remake additional entries in the series.

Posted: 3 hours, 4 minutes ago
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Source: https://www.dualshockers.com/square-enix-is-nervous-about-flooding-the-market-with-hd-2d-games/