It’s been a while since fans have heard back from Square Enix regarding Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate, but series creator Yuji Horii has put their concerns to rest. Speaking on a live stream with his radio show group KosoKoso Hōsō Kyoku, the industry veteran confirmed that the game is still in development, four years after its initial announcement.
As reported by Automaton, Horii said the development team at Square Enix is “working hard” on the title, with hopes to release new information “little by little”. The optimistic update is the first since last May, shortly after series’ lead producer Yu Miyake stepped down from his position to lead the company’s mobile game division.
“Everyone, thank you for all the congratulations,” he said then of the 38th anniversary celebrations on X/Twitter. “Dragon Quest 12‘s status has been causing a lot of worry, but actually, I just had a meeting about it. I cannot reveal the details yet, but we want to create a game that is worthy of the final contributions of the two people who passed away. I’m doing my best!”
The “two people who passed away” in question are character designer Akira Toriyama, best known as the creator of Dragon Ball and soundtrack composer Koichi Sugiyama, who have both worked on every single entry to date. Of the former’s illustrations, the Slime is perhaps the most recognisable, having become the franchise’s mascot, while Sugiyama was noted for being the first composer to record music for a video game with a live orchestra.
Dragon Quest 12 will be the first mainline entry since 2017’s Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age. It was announced in 2021, but ongoing restructuring at Square Enix and a lack of updates have sparked worries of a potential cancellation. Horii’s latest comments indicate that the flame still burns, which is an optimistic development for the long-running series, especially with Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake exceeding sales expectations after surpassing the two-million milestone.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
