Dragon Quest fans can breathe a sigh of relief as series creator Yuji Horii has confirmed that Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate has not been canceled. Announced back in 2021 as part of the 35th anniversary celebration of the series, Dragon Quest 12 marks the first mainline entry since 2017's Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age. Despite the silence since the last update in February, where Horii mentioned that the development team at Square Enix was "working hard" and that information would be released "little by little," the wait continues.
In a recent interview with Gamereactor, Horii once again reassured fans that the project is still on track. "Yes, indeed, I can't say anything, I apologize," he stated. "I am making it, putting lots of work into it... I can only say that the next work will be great too, [I'm] working really hard. Please look forward to it is the only thing I can say." While fans might have hoped for more concrete details like a trailer or screenshots, this confirmation should alleviate concerns about the game's cancellation, especially amidst restructuring at Square Enix and a lack of updates.
All we have of Dragon Quest 12 is this logo, released in 2021.
In May 2024, Horii noted the deaths of Dragon Quest character designer Akira Toriyama and composer Koichi Sugiyama. Additionally, the series' lead producer Yu Miyake had already stepped down from his position to lead Square Enix’s mobile game division, adding layers of complexity to the development process.
