Dragon Quest Drops Official Date For Next Game Reveal

Dragon Quest fans have been waiting a long time for the next mainline game, but that wait may finally be ending soon. Dragon Quest 11 will be coming up on its 10th anniversary next year, and while Dragon Quest 12 was announced years ago, developer Square Enix has been largely quiet about the subject since.

The series has still been active in the meantime, with releases like Dragon Quest Builders 2, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, and several remakes to keep fans occupied. Now, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has teased when franchise fans should expect the next big news.

Speaking on his podcast (as shared by ResetEra user Neha), Yuji Horii suggested that the next announcement could come in a May 27 livestream to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the franchise. Horii didn’t confirm what game would be announced specifically, but he could be referring to either a proper reveal of Dragon Quest 12 or the fresh announcement of another spin-off or remake.

The YouTube upload of the podcast episode has been made private since, and it’s entirely possible that Square Enix didn’t want Horii to tease anything about the 40th anniversary plans or a new game announcement. Nonetheless, it makes sense that a new game would be announced for the anniversary, so it seems unlikely that Square Enix would call off any plans at this point.

Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined's hero and another character in black robes looking at their hands, which are glowing with blue light.

If Dragon Quest 12 does appear in the showcase, plenty of Dragon Quest fans could finally figure out if their fears about the game are justified. The original announcement of the game suggested that it would take on a darker tone and feature some major battle system changes, changes that could bring in new fans but potentially alienate some long-term acolytes who consider it a comfort series.

Otherwise, continuing on to remakes of Dragon Quest 4 and beyond seems possible, or perhaps another enhanced port and update of Dragon Quest 11. Spin-offs are more difficult to predict, as the series could take its core world and formula in plenty of new directions. Dragon Quest Builders fans, however, probably shouldn’t get their hopes up for a new entry, as the studio that co-developed Dragon Quest Builders 2 was recently busy with Pokémon Pokopia.

It shouldn’t be long until fans can find out the answers for themselves, as less than three weeks remain until Dragon Quest‘s 40th anniversary rolls around on May 27.