Next year, Square Enix's long-running JRPG series Dragon Quest turns 35 years old. So, what can we expect? According to the creator, Yuji Horii, there'll be all sorts of announcements. Here's exactly what he had to say at this year's Dragon Quest X Fall Festival about the upcoming anniversary:
“Next year, Dragon Quest will celebrate its 35th anniversary. I believe we will be able to make all sorts of announcements in regards to that. And there is still a whole lot of fun to look forward to in Astoltia [the world of Dragon Quest X]. Please continue to support Dragon Quest in the future. Thank you very much!”
There are a number of Dragon Quest titles known to be in development, but platforms and release dates are not yet locked in. One of them is obviously Dragon Quest XII - it's been known about since the start of this year when Horii confirmed this new entry had been in development since 2019.
Apart from this, there's also reportedly a new Dragon Quest Monsters game in the works and there's been talk about a possible remake of the Nintendo DS title, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies.
Fingers crossed the Switch gets some Dragon Quest love in its anniversary year. Tell us what you to see down below.
[source gematsu.com]
Comments 53
I'm predicting:
PLEASE: Dragon Quest VIII and VII on Switch!
I'd like the first three games on Switch but not terrible looking. Just the originals is fine.
@TheFrenchiestFry That would be amazing. I'd add one thing though if we are being greedy lol
I'd like to see Dragon Quest Heroes I and II brought to the West for Switch. There is a Japanese version of those games on the Switch and the games were translated for the PS4. Should be very doable to accomplish this.
Did any of those DQ Heroes games come to Switch? Did I totally miss something?
1. Dragon Quest Builders 3
2. Dragon Quest Heroes 3
3. Dragon Quest IX Remake
4. Dragon Quest Monsters
5. Dragon Quest X Offline Edition (okay, probably not, I just wanna play it one day)
6. Dragon Quest Mobile Game
7. Dragon Quest games on NES and SNES NSO
8. Dragon Quest XII is cancelled. >:3 (just kidding!)
I'll also predict:
@MasterGraveheart X being able to be played offline would require a massive infrastructural change in terms of how the game is managed and played considering it was literally built around online mechanics as part of its nature as an MMO similar to Final Fantasy XI and XIV. I wouldn't count on that happening any time soon
I totally forgot about DQ X. I once thought about importing a version for Switch just to have on the shelf when I want to daydream about actually playing the game. Sigh..... would love some online DQ here in the West.
Suddenly my mind is just racing with possibilities for 2021. Zelda and Dragon Quest both have massive 35th anniversaries. RIP wallet.
@NinChocolate Yes, the first two games were released in Japan in a rare combo pack. It was not released in the West which is weird because the games were translated for PS4. DQ Heroes Three has been rumoured and spoken about by the series producer.
Please give us HD remastered of all the DS/3DS Dragon Quest games starting with DQIV all the way to DQIX. All games didn't really took advantage of the touch screen that much so they should all be easy to port exclusively to Switch and PC.
Wagon Quest, an Oregon Trail skin featuring Slimes, Terry and dysentery.
@Retro_Player_77 lowkey hope PS4/PS5 also get ports. I'd love to see DQVIII Remastered on those platforms personally
I'm genuinely hoping for that IX remake. I remember playing that for 300+ hours on the DS way back when. It was so much fun.
Still working through XI but looking forward to more of the same!
I would lose it if they redid IX. I never got all the DLC.
I feel like since Squeenix hammered out XI S they might want to push DQ on Nintendo Switch especially since FF is never gonna run on a Switch again barring 1-6.
@Nintendofan83 wow, that’s crazy they skipped a western release.
Dragon Quest X offline and Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 3, please!
I would love a new Monster hunter Joker for switch!
Show me 4 - 9 in any way, and I'll be happy. DQ 1 and 3 are 2 of the only RPGs in recent memory that I've been able to beat, so it'd be really nice to be able to play the rest of the series on Switch.
I would love to see them do something with Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime. A truly delightful little game on the DS, which, in my opinion, didn't get the attention which it deserved. Charming, deeply quirky, and pretty unique at the time.
@HotGoomba___Rebrand Your predictions gave me a genuine chuckle! Pretty funny.
I adored Dragon Quest XI so I am super stoked for the next entry in the series. I also think I would enjoy a remake of Dragon Quest IX, but I would probably be relatively hesitant to buy it since it was at the time one of my least favorite games in the series. Perhaps some polish could tempt me to give it another go. I would definitely like one of the Dragon Quest Monsters games to make an appearance on Nintendo Switch though. Basically, more Dragon Quest is always good news!
Just let me have 4, 5 & 6 on Switch!
I hope Xbox also gets in on the action, but I guess that depends on how well XI S performs on Xbox.
4, 5, 6 on Switch are likely to happen, surely?
HD version of the DQ 7 & 8 remasters that were on the 3DS ported to Switch?
Remaster of 9?
Unlikely, but a conventional version of X in the west for the Switch.
I doubt DQ XII will be ready for next year but we may get a pletora of news in 2021 about it.
I would take many of the spin off games even tbh.
I have always loved this series of games man
@Ryu_Niiyama That’s a great call. There are more than enough Switches now to make it a worthwhile focus for Dragon Quest. Cheaper development costs too, over focusing on PS5. C’mon Squenix - you know it makes sense. Dragon Quest = Nintendo!
Let's hope they do a better job at anniversaries than Nintendo. 😆
Id like DQ: The Adventure of Dai Infinity Strash with local co-op.
@TheFrenchiestFry Pass me some of that stuff too, buddy.
I'm happy to hear that DQ XII is in development, but I couldn't care less about a remake of DQ IX. I can play the DS version on my 3DS XL, as can 80 million other people. What's the point of doing a remake of a game that is playable on a relatively new Nintendo console that everyone has?
Ports of DQ 4 to 9 and DQ Heroes 1 and 2 on Switch hopefully
I think it’s a bit weird that companies are celebrating 35th anniversaries like it’s a big deal. In light of this when I turn 35 in a few years I’m thinking of remastering myself. Maybe getting a haircut and losing some weight...
All I want from the Dragon Quest thing is 4-8 ported and a remake of 9. While they are at it they should release the DS version of Chrono Trigger (since it’s the 25th anniversary this year and they forgot) but I wouldn’t say no to a remake with three same art style as octopath...
Also as we are doing this it’s the 35th anniversary of final fantasy in 2022 so rereleases of 1-6 (as for versions PSP for the first 2 and 4 3DS for 3 then GBA eight non gimped audio for 5 and 6).
They seem really fond of doing those collections like mana and the gameboy FF one that’s out in a few weeks so I want a Tactics one with the original (PSP version) advance and advance A2. Now I moaned about the mana collection being £35 for a gameboy ROM and 2 SNES ones but I would probably let pay £50 for the advance one since I love those games so much.
Awesome! Dragon Quest is one of my favorite video games series, regardless of genre. XI was amazing on Switch so just thinking about what’s next gets me very excited.
I'd like to see an update on/an official reveal trailer of Dragon Quest XII, but that might be too ambitious since It's possibly still in preproduction. I wouldn't mind a decent DQ IX port either; that was for the DS only, and copies are rare and expensive these days.
@Ooyah I have Rocket Slime backlogged, but I'm saving it for a road trip. I learned about it via Youtube when it was part of someone's top ten Dragon Quest games. It seems like one of those hidden gems many skipped over.
This, Shin Megami Tensei III & V and the Zelda anniversary make this potentially as exciting as 2017 for me for amazing game releases.
Remake DQ9 PLEASE
@JoeDiddley Don't forget Persona's actually celebrating its 25th next year as well so Atlus is pretty much on a roll right now
Im shock that no one is focusing on zeldas 35th..
@TheFrenchiestFry You're getting my hopes up by mentioning Dragon Quest X. I've been patiently waiting for that game since the beta on the Wii.
@WiseHeathen I should've clarified
I 100% expect it to be Japan only like all the other subsequent ports
@Aurumonado Yeah the first game was fun, and I liked the remade battle screens, but the towns and map can be EXTREMELY unappealing looking at times
@ShinyUmbreon Lol honestly every franchise seems to be having an anniversary this year, next year, and 2022
@Tyranexx Good call. I would love a Rocket Slime/Slime MoriMori 3 pack ... or a new entry.
@Ryu_Niiyama I 100% agree! While it's somewhat understandable that the first one was Japan-only, I'm surprised the 3DS game never made it out of Japan. Did Rocket Slime underperform? Based on what I have seen of the DS game - despite not actually playing it yet - I'm sure I'd enjoy the other two.
@Tyranexx It kinda tanked outside of Japan. Which i get, it was a spin off aimed at 8-10 year olds (average owner was in their 20s which is fair. I played the JPN version first and it was after my bday so I would have been 20), for a franchise that both had an identity crisis (quest vs warrior) and was not as popular outside of Japan. But they were riding off of the first release of DQVIII so that kept it from just bombing outright. I remember hyping the heck out of it at gamestop but aside from a few otaku I never got any traction.
I think NA numbers were around half JPN numbers (I don’t have a source I just remember reading something to that effect when 3 came out) but JPN numbers were over 293,000 by the end of 2006 according to Wikipedia. Granted, the game was a darling in the west To those that knew but that didn’t translate to mainstream sales.
It’s a very cute game and can be mildly frantic as you get into the battles. I felt it was pretty meaty at the time and didn’t really feel like it was a kids game so much as I felt it was for everyone. I miss games for everyone that are charming.
I would LOVE to see a new Rocket Slime game. I'm not sure why I picked up the DS title when it released, but that ended up being such a great game. I assume it under performed in the US. But, the market is different now, and Rocket Slime would fit very well in this age of mobile style games. Fingers crossed!
@Ryu_Niiyama Ah, so about what I figured then. And I wasn't even taking DQ's spotty history in the West into account. Definitely one of those hidden gems that many people skipped over, it seems.
I'm relatively new to DQ - so far I've only played and beaten IV, V, and VIII, all on the DS and 3DS respectively - and absolutely love the series. An acquaintance got me interested and hooked once he found out I was into JRPGs. Rocket Slime will be my first actual spin-off, though I'd like to pick up Dragon Quest Builders 2 for the Switch down the line.
"Games for everyone that are charming" is one of the reasons why Nintendo systems are usually my platforms of choice. While I like some Western games, many of them feel a little too gritty and realistic for my tastes. I love a wide range of art styles and think deep, meaningful stories can be portrayed with all sorts of aesthetics.
DQ III needs a remake
I just want DQX to finally be localized in the West! How much fun that would be to quest together with my relatives. Switch is also sorely lacking a quality Square Enix MMO.
This is yet another reminder that I would love Square Enix to retool Final Fantasy XII into an MMO for Switch. Zodiac Age is perfectly suited to become a Switch MMO, and could work similarly to Dragalia Lost, where you still build your own CPU teams and bring them into raids, with a CPU recruitment system similar to FFTactics Advance. You could create your own Guilds and Guild Halls...sigh...
I love how the series gets enough love!
@TheFrenchiestFry Dragon Quest 12 feels a bit too early still. Mainline games tends to be farther off in between for Dragon Quest games than Final Fantasy ones. Then again we might get DQ12 infos at least for consoles/etc that will support it. This said, considering how much effort they made into turning DQ11 into a multiplatform title I do not expect it to be a PS5 exclusive.
DQ Heroes 3 is a very real possibility as is DQ4-5-6.
This said, I don't think DQ Builders 3 is likely, beyond a "we are now starting to work on" reveal that will show it will only release in 2022 or later. Perhaps more likely would be a different kind of spin-off title(especially since iirc it was stated the team was actually working on projects others than a Builder game, meaning that title might have to be revealed before work on a new Builder could even start).
I could perhaps see more re-releases or ports, like Dragon Quest Monster Retro heading west but even that feel uncertain until, well, we actually know more.
@Ludovsky Oh I never said PS5 full on exclusive. I said I expected it to be timed like FFXVI is right now considering Sony seems to be aggressively pursuing big developers and publishers for timed exclusivity deals to bolster the PS5's library by curating more high profile stuff to combat Xbox at the moment. I can totally see them moneyhatting DQXII as a one year exclusive on PS5 as a result, as they did with both FFXVI recently and FFVII Remake on PS4. I expect at least a teaser next year with minor glimpses at gameplay, but nothing concrete. They'll probably save more detailed information for later like what Yoshi-P stated would be happening with FFXVI in 2021.
@TheFrenchiestFry There's no good reason to make it a timed exclusive on the PS5, for any party. The Switch has dominated Japan, and the PS5 is never going to overtake it there. And while DQ XI found success in the West, it wouldn't surprise me if it ended up selling best on the Switch anyway. Making XII a timed exclusive on the PS5 when the audience just isn't there makes no business sense for Square Enix. And while Sony certainly does aggressively pursue exclusivity deals with developers, I doubt they see Dragon Quest as an important enough franchise for them since the fanbase just isn't as big in the West, which is the market Sony pays attention to. Unfortunately, Dragon Quest just doesn't have the appeal in the West that Final Fantasy does.
I expect a global release. Or at least an attempt at one.
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