You could say the Dragon Quest series has a renewed momentum behind it. The latest mainline entry, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive age, has seen critical acclaim since its launch. In addition, its sales numbers recently passed the four million unit mark. With that being said, Dragon Quest XII seems like a no-brainer. However, don’t expect to see this title any time soon. As the creator of the series, Yuri Horii, said himself, this currently-unannounced title is “still many years away.”
Horii was asked the question by Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino, who was moderating a panel Horii was attending. He said he “already came up” with the “keywords” for the 12th entry of the long-running series. He also noted he wanted “the same reception for the gameplay systems” as Dragon Quest XI, although he also wants to “surprise everyone.”
Now, this isn’t necessarily surprising news, but it does help set expectations in a way. Large gaps aren’t a new thing for the Dragon Quest franchise at all. There were three years between Dragon Quest IX and Dragon Quest X, although those two games were in development simultaneously. Then, there was a five-year gap between Dragon Quest X and Dragon Quest XII. Considering that Dragon Quest X is an MMO as well, that means there were eight years between the last two single-player Dragon Quest games.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any Dragon Quest games in the interim. Dragon Quest Builders 2 is releasing soon in Japan, and a demo is available now. A Western release is rumored for 2019, although there’s been no official word on it yet. In addition, an all-new Dragon Quest Monsters game, starring Dragon Quest XI’s own Erik, is coming to consoles. And as an online game, Dragon Quest X has been regularly updated and expanded, with the last major expansion launching in 2017. There’s always the possibility it could launch in the West as well, albeit as an offline version.
Is this confirmation that Dragon Quest XII is a way’s out disappointing, if not surprising? Let us know!
[Source: Gematsu]
