Square Enix is asleep at the wheel - it isn't bringing amazing JRPGs like the 3DS update of Dragon Quest VII to the west. The company has previously stated that it is unsure there's enough demand in North America and Europe to justify the cost of localising the title, while the Wii U title Dragon Quest X is equally unlikely to get the translation treatment.
However, that doesn't mean you'll never be able to experience Dragon Quest VII on your 3DS handheld. Fed up of waiting for Square Enix to get off its backside and bring the game to western shores, a team of fans is painstakingly translating the game as we speak. As you can see from the screens below, it's slow going at present - there's a lot of text to get through - but they are making good progress.
It goes without saying that should this epic undertaking reach its conclusion, it won't be an official release - in order to play it you'll need to use some kind of PC-based emulator or a flash cart of dubious origin on your 3DS console - but we think it's a noble venture all the same. Perhaps Square Enix should take note of this passion before deciding that amazing RPGs like Dragon Quest VII aren't worthy candidates for localisation?
[source gonintendo.com]
Comments (46)
I prefer Dragon Quest over Final Fantasy and have all of the DS games so I really wish this would come out here.
Would be neat if they could figure out a way to patch the actual cart (and region un-lock it) in real-time using a browser exploit. People might need to start snatching up copies while they're still selling for only two digits.
Sad, but Square Enix is kind of right about this decision, look at DS' Dragon Quest's sales in the west, really bad. I really want to play this game though, it looks awesome!
I actually couldn't give a puppy poopy about Dragon Quest X because it isn't turn based. Dragon Quest VII however, has been on my radar for a while.
Hasn't Dragon Quest always done well over here? What's stopping them?
@Asaki
Wouldn't be the first time. You can buy English patched carts of Fire Emblem on eBay I do believe- they're hard to find but they exist.
This is great news, looks like I'll get to play Dragon Quest 7 after all...
Awesome! I've got the Japanese version and have played it but I'd love to play it in English!
With Games they are unsure of just release it digitally below the usually RRP to test the waters
I dare say that it'll be possible to produce this fan translation in a way that does not require flashcarts, only the (now patched) browser exploit.
In similar fashion to the RegionThree exploit, have the DQVII cartridge inserted in your 3DS, run the browser exploit and have it boot the 3DS cartridge with the hotfix applied.
I mean, that would work right?
If it isn't an official release then I won't be bothering with it at all. Besides, fan made translations haven't gone so smooth lately with the creators of games for obvious reasons. I'll play it if Square Enix ever decides to bring it over here themselves.
For me this kind of thing completely legitimizes flash carts and such. So many fantastic experiences would be unavailable... good work guys, we appreciate it!
@Fededx DQ IX sold the best in the West out of any DQ game.
@Fededx
Well... it is not like they let people know when they release them. Dragon Quest IX was pretty much the only one I knew that was released. Pretty much saw the ad and ordered it. I just randomly found the others that were localized because there was never anything advertised about them.
@ikki5 That is pretty similar to me I bought VI for basically nothing (Just as I saw it) and then IV and V for an inflated price none of which went to SE.
Ugh. Why can't Squeenix just release this? 6 was released as the DS was dying, hence the slow sales in the West, whereas 9 sold pretty well (despite Jedward's best efforts to destroy the game's UK sales). I'm sure there is enough of a market for 7 to be worth a punt.
Ugh, Square Enix... This is why I barely even glance at the games they produce. It's just disappointment here, there, everywhere. I'm sorry, but I just think they don't care enough about their fans. They do have a dedicated fanbase over here in the west, but they seem far more interested in disappointing them then giving them what they want. Granted, they are a business, but without their fans, that won't last much longer.
Wish i knew how to read (and write) japanese...
Nintendo should handle the localisation, am I right Mr. Iwata?
Didn't you say most japanese games would make it to the west?
So do the work and publish this game asap, it's not that the 3DS has a stellar 2015 line up
@SuperCharlie78 Probably that is what SE wants but Nintendo has looked at what it would involve. It is one of the longest JRPG's there is.
Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll find that they were secretly working on it all along, like with Type-0.
Well, on the plus side, 7 is coming to mobile eventually. I haven't heard whether it's based on the PS1 or 3DS version (or built from the ground up for mobile), but it's better then nothing. Eventually the first 8 will be entirely playable on mobile.
Haven't played a whole lot of Dragon Quest, but it seems the mobile releases are my best bet for getting into the series. Maybe IX will get ported someday.
For anyone who would say "just get the DS version", I could, but a certain online service got shut down, disabling a sizable chunk of the game's extras, from what I understand. And the DS carts of the earlier games are expensive.
You don't want our money Square Enix then we'll translate the game ourselves and make sure you won't get any.
They said the same thing about Bravely Default and what did it sell in the West after Nintendo localised it? Like 700,000+?
Oh wait this is Square Enix we're talking about, the company who dubbed 3.4 Million sales in 5-6 months as a failure.
Surely these days it can't be that costly for a big developer/publisher like SE to translate such a game and give it a digital-only eShop release - at the very least? Especially for one of their biggest AAA franchises.
Even if SE won't do it (weren't they the ones who stated anything that doesn't have the potential to be a million-seller isn't worthy of their attention?), I would imagine it would be a smart move for Nintendo themselves to handle it, as the 3DS release schedule is barren.
Classic Squenix. So, why are they westernizing their stuff into ugly abominations again?
It's great that fans are doing this, but Squenix should really see the potential money in front of them (IMO, aside from a few hits such as Deux Ex: HR, Squeenix hasn't been the same since they first changed the name from Squaresoft. Though FFXV does look really good). I'm really getting the vibes from when Capcom wouldn't (and still hasn't) localised Miles Edgeworth Ace Attorney Investigations 2/Gyakuten Kenji 2, and fans took the matter in their own hands, and now you can play the game in English.
@unrandomsam Because it was actually advertised. Let's not pretend otherwise - the DQ IX advertisements that were shown on British TV featured Jedward and were generally awful (listing their crimes in order of severity); but they (and a decent print advertising campaign) clearly worked, the game is still the highest selling of the Dragon Quest games in the west. 6 and DQM Joker 2 also did well (albeit not as well), in spite of having less advertising, but they definitely sold better than either IV, V or DQM Joker did.
@FX102A The same Square Enix that sank hundreds of millions of dollars on Thief 4, a game panned for its sheer mediocrity? In all seriousness, the western division of the company has just gotten progressively worse since the acquisition of Eidos. Prior to said acquisition, Eidos were bleeding money for making the same mistakes they continue to make under the Square Enix name, and if the Japanese HQ had even a lick of business sense, they'd cut the tumour out before it spreads.
Will never by a square Enix game again! oh that's gonna be very easy to achive they have stopped making them for the west.
Asleep at the wheel is more like they don't care about Nintendo any more!
@TossedLlama Exactly what I was thinking. Fans did the legwork for translating Mother 3, and that game still didn't get an official english translation. SE is not going to change their minds about not localizing it, if anything, they would send a cease-and-desist letter to these people. Look what happened to the fan project "chrono trigger flames of eternity."
I love to see fans picking up the slack from companies to translate these games that companies won't.
@tudsworth I never saw any advertising for IX. IV and V though definitely had issues with stock.
@unrandomsam
There were a lot of the Jedward ones on TV. The thought of them still makes me cringe.
I still think DQ7 will get a release. Square-Enix have been releasing the mobile ones and are now localising Dragon Quest Heroes, so they haven't completely abandoned the franchise in the west. If nothing else Nintendo have a pretty barren release schedule and could localise this like they did with Bravely Default and Fantasy Life.
This would make me become a pirate! Ahoy mates!
@Lord I'm pretty sure its the don't care about crossing the pond anymore. Although we will get Bravely Default there are lots slipping away like Dragon Quest VII, Dragon Quest X, and No release date on Final Fantasy Explorers. These days it seems Nintendo has to publish Square if it wants them on their system. They had to do it with DS and Dragon Quest IX. Looks like Nintendo must come to plate if they want any of these games on their system. And forgive me if I'm wrong but I think Nintendo also Published Bravely Default. Its to bad we couldn't get the world to go on à square enix strike.
They are not sure if it would be profitable in the West but they don't know that for sure and yet they prefer to let millions of fans without playing it?
This world makes no sense.
"you'll need to use some kind of PC-based 3DS emulator"
Which doesn't exist.
"or a flash cart of dubious origin on your 3DS console"
Which doesn't exist...
So basically we won't play it anyway lol
So happy I got the ps1 version. I have played all the English 3ds ones, and in my honest opinion, other than the graphics, the old ones that were released in the West are better than their DS counterparts.
@Fededx - The DS DQ games did not sell that badly, especially Dragon Quest 9. Just remember that we're talking about Square Enix here, the company that claimed that the new Lora Croft game they made had disappointing sales, despite selling 3.6 million copies in only its first month.
@Melkaticox Never heard of Gateway?
As much as I would be interested, there is more to localization than translation.
Why am I not surprised that this is happening?
To the importers: DQ7 and the DQM games on the 3ds are getting a price drop this month. As they are becoming SquareEnix greatest hits. Same with Ace Attorney next month for 123 collection and 5.
If this project gets done I may have to find a 3DS flash cart. I would buy DQ7 on day one, but it's not going to happen. Squenix only has itself to blame for my blatant pirating of games I can't play
@RupeeClock: The browser exploit has been fixed with the latest patch.
@LemonSlice
Dragon Quest VII doesn't require up to date firmware to play it.
@RupeeClock: Well, not everyone has a spare 3DS to mess around with.
@Fededx I would agree, but the only real reason this isn't being localization is because of that bipbopbuppoopybop merger making the localization team lose their fucking minds with later translations of Dragon Quest games. They've painted themselves into a corner by essentially requiring themselves to completely retranslate this. That's why DQVIII for 3D3DSs coming out in the US and this isn't. It's how many years after that merger and I still have new reasons to hate it. A bunch of localization projects were killed by it and it's still happening how many years after?
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