- Primary Subject: Square Enix Switch 2 Upgrade Strategy Controversy
- Key Update: Examines criticism over full-price Switch 2 rereleases for existing Square Enix RPGs, including missing upgrade paths and save transfer support.
- Status: Opinion
- Last Verified: July 20, 2026
- Quick Answer: The piece argues that Square Enix is undermining player goodwill by repeatedly charging full price for enhanced Switch 2 versions of games players already own, especially when inconsistent upgrade policies suggest a commercial rather than technical justification.
Square Enix is bringing another of its celebrated RPGs to Nintendo Switch 2, but the way it's doing so is becoming increasingly difficult for me to defend.
Square Enix's growing wave of Switch 2 ports has picked up another passenger, with Star Ocean: The Second Story R now officially heading to Nintendo's latest console.
Existing Switch owners, however, won't be offered a free update or even a discounted upgrade pack. If they want the enhanced version, they'll have to buy the game all over again.
The same restriction applies to the two Octopath Traveler games. Their Switch 2 versions are being sold separately for $60 each, while a digital bundle costs $75.
Save data from the original Switch releases also won't carry over, meaning anyone upgrading will have to start from scratch.
Looking at these announcements together, I don't think this is merely a string of separate decisions anymore.
Square Enix is turning straightforward hardware upgrades into opportunities to resell games many of its biggest fans already own - even though it has already shown fairer alternatives are perfectly possible. I don't actually think the biggest issue is the asking price.
Developers deserve to be paid for additional work, and I have no problem with publishers charging for meaningful upgrades.
What bothers me is that Square Enix keeps making its earliest supporters pay the highest price.
Why Doesn't A Paid Upgrade Make More Sense?
There's nothing inherently unreasonable about charging for additional development work.
Native Switch 2 versions still require testing, optimization, certification and, depending on the game, more technical work than players immediately realize.
That's worth something. Nintendo's own approach proves this. Some Switch 2 games offer free upgrades, while others charge a fee depending on the scope of the improvements.
You can argue over the price tags, but the overall model feels well judged - new players buy the complete package, while returning players aren't expected to pay full price all over again.
Square Enix removes that middle ground entirely. Someone who has never played Star Ocean: The Second Story R can decide whether the Switch 2 version is worth $50.
Anyone who already owns it has a different dilemma altogether - is better performance enough to justify another purchase? For most people, I suspect the answer is no.
A $10 or even $20 upgrade still earns Square Enix more revenue while acknowledging that I already supported the game once.
A full-price rerelease doesn't - it quietly makes that original purchase feel like it no longer counts. The lack of save transfers only makes that harder to justify.
RPGs aren't the kind of games most people casually restart every few months, especially when dozens of hours are involved.
Sure, plenty of players enjoy replaying these adventures (I'm one of them), but that should feel like a choice - not the cost of experiencing a technically improved version of something I already own.
Is This Really About Technical Limitations?
The confusing part is that Square Enix already supports upgrade paths elsewhere in its Switch 2 lineup.
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles received free upgrades, while Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven offers a paid upgrade instead.
That inconsistency makes it hard for me to buy the idea that this is simply a technical limitation.
Of course, there may be legitimate reasons why certain games are handled differently. Save structures change, separate SKUs can create compatibility problems, and some ports are more substantial than they initially appear.
I don't think it's fair to assume every game can be converted through the flip of a switch. But technical explanations only go so far.
When some Square Enix games receive upgrades while others are repackaged as entirely separate products (with no upgrade path and no save migration), it’s difficult to see this as anything but a commercial decision.
I completely understand why Square Enix would rather sell another $50 copy than a $10 upgrade - any publisher would.
The problem is that players don't think about purchases the same way businesses do. We remember buying the game at launch.
We remember picking it up during a sale. We remember seeing it sitting in our library. That's why these Switch 2 editions don't feel like brand-new releases; they feel like upgrades wearing the price tag of one.
Is Square Enix Creating A Bigger Problem?
Ironically, I think the long-term consequences matter far more than these individual rereleases.
If Square Enix continues handling Switch 2 releases this way, I'd genuinely hesitate before buying another one of its RPGs on Switch at launch - not because I'd suddenly stop wanting the game, but because I'd wonder whether a separate Switch 2 edition is only a few months away.
That's a short-sighted habit for any publisher to develop. Once players stop viewing launch day as the best time to buy, early sales start slipping through the cracks.
Some people will simply stick with the original Switch version. Others will wait until it's bargain-bin cheap. Some may even decide to buy future Square Enix RPGs on PC, PlayStation or Xbox instead, where generational upgrades have generally been handled more consistently.
That's what makes these ports such a tough sell. I don't think players are refusing to pay for upgrades - they're refusing to pay as though they never bought the game in the first place.
A consistent upgrade path, even a paid one, would've been much easier to defend. Instead, Square Enix has chipped away at player confidence, and that's much harder to win back than a sale.
Great games will always find an audience, but if your most loyal customers start asking whether they should wait instead of buy, your upgrade strategy probably isn't working the way you intended.
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