Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Next Dragon Quest to be Announced on May 27 (Dragon Quest XII, Or…?)

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
May 112026
 

In a recent broadcast, Dragon Quest series creator Yuji Horii said there will be an anniversary live stream on May 27.

As reported by Gematsu, this will include “an announcement about the next game,” along with other news.

This sounds like the next game in the series is ready to be announced…

…except it already was. Exactly 5 years before the upcoming live stream, in fact.

It was all the way back on May 27, 2021 when the 35th anniversary live stream included several announcements, including Dragon Quest III HD-2D, Dragon Quest Treasures, and yes, Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate.

What followed were a lot of questions, from what they meant by calling Dragon Quest XII a Dragon Quest game “for adults” and what the “renewed” combat system would be like.

Fans worried that Dragon Quest XII would be dark and edgy, that it would have action combat, all sorts of worries based on those unclear statements when it was announced… and you know, we still don’t have any answers. We have yet to see anything at all about Dragon Quest XII. The last update was an interview in 2023 where Horii cited the pandemic as a reason progress on the game was slow.

Now here we are in 2026, approaching the 40th anniversary live stream, where “the next game” is set to have an announcement. Will we finally see Dragon Quest XII? Will we see a completely different Dragon Quest XII instead? Or is the new announcement for another remake or spin-off?

Whatever the case may be, I hope the game looks good. What do you think will be shown at the live stream?

Remember, We Hardly Know Anything About Dragon Quest XII

 Video games  6 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Jun 282023
 

Dragon Quest XII is once again a hot topic of debate, which is impressive considering how little we know about it.

Part of this comes from Final Fantasy XVI. Being an M-rated action RPG, it’s led many fans to think Dragon Quest XII will follow in its footsteps.

The concerns about Dragon Quest XII having action combat have been circulating ever since it was announced, despite there being no proof of that.

This time, however, the controversy is more about the game’s tone.

The latest news comes from an interview in which Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii was asked about the status of Dragon Quest XII, since we haven’t seen anything about it since it was announced in 2021.

As translated by Noisy Pixel, he responded:

Mmm, I guess it will take a little while. This time we are making a game directed toward an adult audience, so we are having a lot of trouble (laughs). There was also the Coronavirus pandemic.”

He goes on to say that a lot of employees are still working remotely.

This has spurred a lot of controversy over the idea that Dragon Quest XII will be a dark, edgy, M-rated game, along with the repeated claims that it won’t have turn-based combat, even though none of this has been confirmed. We still don’t know what they mean about the target audience being adults. We barely know anything about Dragon Quest XII at all.

Here’s what’s actually been confirmed about Dragon Quest XII:

  • The full title is Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate.
  • It was described as “Dragon Quest for adults” when announced.
  • It will have choices.
  • The combat system will be “renewed” but still feel familiar to fans (based on the translation here).
  • The story is complete.
  • It has the same director as Dragon Quest XI.
  • It uses Unreal Engine 5.
  • Dragon Quest XII could set the path for the next 10-20 years of the series.

None of that says the combat will be a radical departure (if anything, it suggests the opposite). There’s no proof the tone will be dark and edgy or even rated M, either. All of those assumptions are coming from the “Dragon Quest for adults” line, which still hasn’t been explained. For all we know, that could mean they’re making the gameplay more complex.

So, what about this latest interview answer? Considering he laughed while giving the answer, I’m not sure we should attach too much significance to the adult target audience being what’s caused so much time to pass without news. The remote work and COVID-related delays feel like the more likely culprits.

Dragon Quest XII could have a completely different tone, but it’s too early to panic over it. In the meantime, I probably should play more Dragon Quest so I have more than two games to reference when talking about it!

What do you think Dragon Quest XII having an adult target audience means?

Dragon Quest XII Could Influence the Next 10-20 Years of Dragon Quest

 Video games  4 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Jul 192021
 

Dragon Quest XII remains a mystery in many ways, as we still don’t know much about the game itself.

We know from the announcement that there will be some changes to the combat system and possibly a darker tone, and that the story is already complete.

And now we know that those changes, whatever they turn out to be, might be around for a long time.

According to a new interview with Square Enix’s CEO Yosuke Matsuda, translated here by Gematsu, Dragon Quest XII’s development is “taking into account the next 10 to 20 years of the Dragon Quest series.”

He went on to say that, “There are parts that remain consistent with the traditional image of Dragon Quest, but new elements are also necessary. After all, as a brand we always need to innovate.”

Of course, some people are interpreting “new elements” to mean that the series is going to feature action combat from now on, but we still haven’t gotten any clear information about how the combat system is changing. There’s no reason to assume it will be something extreme.

It does sound like they’re planning a notable shift for the series in general, though, or it wouldn’t be necessary to mention that they’re thinking ahead to the next 10-20 years. Here’s hoping it will be a good move, not a disappointment!

How do you feel about the fact that Dragon Quest XII might set the tone for the next decade of Dragon Quest and beyond? What do you think the changes will be like?

 Older Entries