According to SiliconEra, fans have recently noticed that Octopath Traveler is listed as "Not Available" for purchase on the Nintendo Switch. Although the game retains its $59.99 USD price tag, the Switch eShop page does not permit new players to acquire the game from the digital marketplace. This problem is specific to the Switch eShop, as fans can still purchase the game on PC and Xbox One without issues. Neither Nintendo nor Square Enix has formally addressed the alteration to Octopath Traveler's Switch listing.
Despite Octopath Traveler currently being unavailable, fans are speculating that this change is temporary. One notable update on the Switch eShop is the listing of Square Enix as the publisher for Octopath Traveler. Although Square Enix developed and published most versions of the RPG, the Switch version was initially published by Nintendo for regions outside of Japan. Fans believe that the unexpected removal of the game could be due to the publisher change, suggesting that Octopath Traveler will likely return to the eShop at a later time.
The new change to the Switch listing for Octopath Traveler comes following a successful launch for its sequel in Octopath Traveler 2. Following the game's debut in February 2023, Octopath Traveler 2 would report selling 1 million units by June of that year. Square-Enix would also announce Octopath Traveler 2's upcoming release on Xbox consoles in October, with the sequel expected to debut on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in early 2024. Fans can rest easy as the unexpected change to Octopath Traveler's status on Switch should only be temporary.