Dragon Quest series creator reassures fans that Dragon Quest 12 is still in development

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Dragon Quest 12 XII logo

On the Dragon Quest series’ 38th anniversary, creator Yuji Horii took to X talk about the upcoming Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate. Not only did he quell fans’ worries about the game’s development status, but he also revealed that the latest entry in the beloved RPG series will be a suitable send-off for its two longtime collaborators who passed away. 

Translation – Yuji Horii’s post: Everyone, thank you very much for all your congratulatory messages. Dragon Quest 12’s status has been causing you 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!  
Dragon Quest PR account’s post: Dragon Quest 1 was released 38 years ago today. Today (May 27) is also known as Dragon Quest Day. Dragon Quest 1 is the title that made the RPG genre popular in Japan. In the game, a hero from the Erdrick bloodline sets out on an adventure to defeat the Dragonlord who stole the “Ball of Light” and save the world. 

Replying to the official Dragon Quest PR account’s message marking the series’ May 27 birthday, Horii confirmed that Dragon Quest 12 is still being made. The “two people who passed away” are of course Dragon Quest character designer Akira Toriyama and soundtrack composer Koichi Sugiyama, who have both worked on every single entry in series to date. Known for the manga Dragon Ball, Toriyama also brought his distinctive style to characters and enemy monsters in Dragon Quest and other video games until his death in March 2024 at the age of 68. This included Slime- the tear-drop shaped monster that is the series’ mascot. Sugiyama, who was instrumental in creating the games’ iconic soundtracks, died aged 90 in 2021. He was the first composer to record music for a video game with a live orchestra, lending the RPG series a grand and epic atmosphere. 

The work of both men will be featured in the upcoming Dragon Quest 12. Recent events have caused Dragon Quest fans to worry about the upcoming title’s fate. Dragon Quest 12 was first announced in May 2021, however Square Enix’s recent financial losses and new business plan have led to concerns that the game would be cancelled. In his message above, Yuji Horii states that work on the title is still going ahead and seems determined to make a game that will honor the legacy of the two men responsible for Dragon Quest’s iconic art style and music. 

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Verity Townsend
Verity Townsend

Automaton West Editor and translator. She has a soft spot for old-school Sierra adventure games and Final Fantasy VIII (yes, 8!). Can often be found hunting down weird forgotten games and finding out everything about them. Frequently muses about characters and lines from Metal Gear Solid and Disco Elysium. Aims to keep Automaton fresh and interesting with a wide variety of articles.

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  1. It’s understandable this would be a worry. But I do think thanks to absorbing a lot of the 3rd party spinoff studios especially the one studio who made Forspoken and worked on Luminous Engine into the 5 divisions things should make everything move way quicker as a whole including Dragon’s Quest.