Game had restarted development since original announcement 5 years ago
Square Enix announced in a livestream for the 40th anniversary of the Dragon Quest franchise on Wednesday a new direction and title for its Dragon Quest XII game, the latest main game installment in the company’s long-running role-playing game series. which is now titled Dragon Quest XII: Beyond Dreams. The company did not announce a release date or platforms, but it unveiled a sneak peek video at the new game (footage starts at around 4:31 in video below):
The livestream began with a retrospective of the franchise and a brief introduction the upcoming game, during which series game designer Yūji Horii and the game’s executive producer Yōsuke Saitō revealed that the game’s team was reshuffled and the development restarted at some point. Saito explained that the game had “hit a lot of hurdles,” and after talking with Horii about what the game should look like, they made the big decision to move things around and restart development. As a result, although the game was originally announced five years ago, Square Enix will need more time before it releases the game.
The video introduces the young hero, who is “beset by strange visions in their sleep.” Describing Dragon Quest XII: Beyond Dreams, Horii stated that a “bright and exciting and future” lies beyond dreams, and “surely not a world of darkness.” In contrast with the game’s original announcement five years ago, Horii had initially unveiled the game, then titled Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, to be “darker” than other installments and a “Dragon Quest” for adults.”
Saito teased that the game is an evolution of the franchise with elements never-before-seen in a Dragon Quest game. Horii revealed that the game will feature the late Akira Toriyama’s characters and Kōichi Sugiyama’s music. Toriyama, best known for Dragon Ball Z, died in February 2024.
Square Enix originally announced the game Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate (Dragon Quest XII: Erabareshi Unmei no Honoo) during its 35th anniversary live stream in May 2021. The game’s original theme was “why do people live,” and Horii described the game as “darker” than other installments of the series, and a “Dragon Quest” for adults.”
Horii previously teased in the original announcement that the series’ traditional menu-based combat system would see some changes, though he said that it will remain familiar to veterans of the series. Horii had also said at that time that Square Enix was “aiming” for a worldwide release.
Source: Dragon Quest franchise’s YouTube channel
