Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy fans were jumpscared by the appearance of Octopath Traveller 0 in last night's PlayStation State of Play.
During the presentation, the host, Yuki Kaji, said the line "Next up, we have an announcement for Square Enix's beloved series." Now, if I paused you there, and you just heard the words "Square Enix's beloved series," your mind would likely go to something like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, or Dragon Quest (which already showed up earlier in the show). But after leading with that line, it was followed up with Octopath Traveler 0.
Obviously people do love Octopath Traveler, the second game is one of those games that everyone who has played will tell you is incredible and you need to play it, but it's understandable that its appearance – especially with the intro it was given – was bound to be disappointing for some people.
NO SHADE TO OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 BUT THIS WAS LITERALLY ME FOR A SECOND JUST NOW 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/2lT6UhSHMSNovember 11, 2025
One look at Twitter and you can see reactions from scorned Kingdom Hearts 4 and Final Fantasy hopefuls. One user said "No shade to Octopath Traveler 0 but this was literally me for a second just now" with the meme of the IGN reporters at E3.
Meanwhile, some people streaming the presentation showcased their reactions, with streamer Cynical going alert at the "Square Enix's beloved series," before falling backwards, saying "don't do that" (granted, they did say "We love Octopath"). Meanwhile, Final Fantasy fan Bawkbasoup began a shout when the line was said before resigning themselves to a dejected "aww".
Although I do have to ask, what were we expecting? A new Final Fantasy game or Kingdom Hearts 4 news for the first time in the three decades since it was announced will be a massive deal when it's announced. I doubt that Square would include them in a Japan-focused State of Play, knowing that some may overlook it due to its regional focus. Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy announcements would likely be saved for one of the big showcases like Summer Game Fest, PlayStation Showcase, or The Game Awards.
