{"id":67527,"date":"2026-06-02T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=67527"},"modified":"2026-06-02T13:08:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T04:08:39","slug":"dragon-quest-smash-grow-developer-denies-rumors-about-the-game-performing-poorly-overseas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/dragon-quest-smash-grow-developer-denies-rumors-about-the-game-performing-poorly-overseas\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragon Quest Smash\/Grow developer denies rumors about the game performing poorly\u00a0overseas\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Square Enix and KLab launched the roguelite action RPG Dragon Quest Smash\/Grow <\/strong>on April 21. The new free-to-play spin-off to the Dragon Quest series surpassed 1 million downloads worldwide within one day, rising to the top of revenue rankings in Japan on the 22nd. As of May 1, the game has exceeded 5 million cumulative downloads globally, but developer KLab recently addressed concerns about overseas performance being sluggish (as reported by GameBiz<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a shareholders Q&A<\/a> held on May 14, KLab CEO Tetsuya Sanada explained that Dragon Quest Smash\/Grow\u2019s initial performance has been \u201clargely within expectations.\u201d Based on market trends and the performance of its past titles, KLab expects revenue to pick up significantly from the next quarter onwards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the developer denied the view that Smash\/Grow has been performing weakly outside of Asia. With Square Enix being the publisher, KLab was not able to disclose specific figures, but Sanada noted that overseas markets tend to have a slower start than the Japanese market, and that his company doesn\u2019t perceive the game\u2019s current revenue as sluggish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a departure from mainline Dragon Quest entries, Smash\/Grow is a fast-paced action-based roguelite in which you fight off hordes of enemies. Randomness is introduced through \u201cBlessings,\u201d which you can mix and match to grow your character. In addition to the main story campaign, in which you navigate dungeons known as \u201crifts\u201d in an adventure to restore order in the world, the game comes with a co-op mode where you can go on special quests with your friends. Monetization revolves primarily around  equipment gacha system, where pulling armor and weapons buffs your character. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dragon Quest Smash\/Grow is available for iOS<\/a> and Android<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii and Blue\u00a0Lock author Muneyuki Kaneshiro\u00a0say\u00a0their\u00a0upcoming\u00a0karmic death\u00a0game-style\u00a0Switch title\u00a0plays similarly to Akutagawa\u2019s\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0Spider Thread\u201d\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dragon Quest Smash\/Grow developer KLab addressed concerns about the new title’s performance outside of Asia in a recent shareholders meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":67529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-67527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nDragon Quest Smash\/Grow developer denies rumors about the game performing poorly\u00a0overseas\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dragon Quest Smash\/Grow developer KLab addressed concerns about the new title's performance outside of Asia in a recent shareholders meeting.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/dragon-quest-smash-grow-developer-denies-rumors-about-the-game-performing-poorly-overseas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dragon Quest Smash\/Grow developer denies rumors about the game performing poorly\u00a0overseas\u00a0 - 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