Octopath 0 Is A Game-Key Card On Switch 2, And Square Enix Has “No Plans” For A Switch 1 Upgrade Option

Hopefully you’re not getting tired of HD-2D, because Square Enix served up a double helping of new games sporting the neo-retro aesthetic to finish off today’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is coming to Switch 2 only, but OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 is lined up for both Switch 1 and 2 – and Square Enix has confirmed there’ll be no way to upgrade a Switch 1 version of the game.

Posting on Bluesky, the publisher says that if you buy the Switch 1 version, you won’t be able to upgrade to the Switch 2 version via an Upgrade Pack. This means Switch 2 owners wanting a physical copy of the game will be stuck between Switch 1 cart they can’t upgrade and a Game-Key Card which — according to the official box art — will require a 5GB download.

[Note about the Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch versions 1/2]
The Switch 2 versions (both the physical and digital versions) can only be played on Nintendo Switch 2.
[2/2]
It is not possible to upgrade from the Switch version to the Switch 2 version once purchased. There are also no plans for an option to upgrade to the Switch 2 version in future. Please make sure you purchase the correct version.

Other publishers have offered Upgrade Packs that let anyone with the Switch 1 game get the upgraded version of the game on the more powerful console but, for whatever reason, Square apparently has no interest in offering this as an option.

As a reminder for anybody out of the loop, Nintendo introduced Game-Key Cards as an option for publishers on Switch 2. They don’t contain any game data, with the cart acting — as the name suggests — as a key that must be inserted in the console, first to download the entire game from the eShop, and subsequently to access the game on your hard drive.

While this means that publishers can get a ‘physical’ product on store shelves and you have something to put on your own shelf (or resell, if you like), you’ll still need to have the game downloaded and taking up storage space on your system – and you’ll need the card inserted to play it.

Players’ reaction to Game-Key Cards from players has been largely negative, although the option to get a physical copy of the Switch 1 game and then get the digital-only Upgrade Pack for Switch 2 was a compromise some were prepared to make. Zero chance of that here, it seems.

The game’s not out until December, so it’s possible plans could change. “Please make sure you purchase the correct version” doesn’t sound promising, though.