This year, Dragon Quest joins the likes of The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, and Metroid in celebrating its 35th anniversary. For the occasion, Square Enix recently held a presentation showcasing the upcoming slate of titles currently in development for the franchise across mobile and console platforms, hosted by series creator Yuji Horii. To close out the show, Square Enix finally announced the long-awaited next installment in the series, Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate.
Dragon Quest is a Japanese RPG series that started in 1987 on the Famicom (NES) and quickly became one of the pioneers of the RPG genre, being one of the first mainstream console RPGs ever created and the basis for the entire JRPG genre. The series has gone on to become a cultural phenomenon in Japan, inspiring multiple manga, anime, and film adaptations and commonly being referenced in other media, including recently in Sega's Yakuza series. The last mainline title, Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age, first released in 2017 and has received an enhanced re-release since.
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During today's presentation, Square Enix revealed six upcoming Dragon Quest titles, including a remake of Dragon Quest 3 from the team behind Octopath Traveler, a new expansion for the Japan-only MMORPG Dragon Quest 10, a spin-off featuring Dragon Quest 11 party member Erik called Dragon Quest Treasure, and more. The presentation ended with the major Dragon Quest sequel announcement that fans have waited years for, Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate, which will be the next mainline game in the beloved RPG series.
Despite the game having started development a few years ago, details are quite scarce regarding Dragon Quest 12, with Yuji Horii refraining from answering most major questions like release date or platforms. What Horii did reveal is that The Flames of Fate will be a more mature Dragon Quest game, with him calling the game "Dragon Quest for adults." He also stated that there will be some changes to the game's iconic turn-based command system, but did not detail whether this will be a complete combat overhaul or if Dragon Quest will follow the likes of Final Fantasy in a more action-focused direction.
Horii repeatedly claimed that Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate will heavily focus on player choice, with the character's "fate" being the core theme for the game, similar to Dragon Quest 5's marriage decisions. Some fans have noted that Horii's description of the decision-making may be regarding the return of the job system from Dragon Quest 9, which allowed fans to create custom characters and play together online as part of a party.
Aside from this, nothing else is known about Dragon Quest 12. Horii declined to comment on what platforms the game will be available for or when it will release, although he did briefly mention that it will be the first game in the series to launch worldwide simultaneously. Horii briefly mentioned that the developer has been prototyping some combat systems, implying that it might still be quite some time before we see any actual gameplay or in-engine footage.
Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate is currently in development.