Fans of the iconic Dragon Quest series can breathe a sigh of relief: Yuji Horii, the mastermind behind the franchise, has confirmed that Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate is still in the works and has not been canceled. This eagerly awaited title was first announced as part of the series' 35th anniversary festivities back in 2021, marking it as the first mainline entry since Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age released in 2017.
Since its announcement, information about Dragon Quest 12 has been scarce. The last update came in February when Horii mentioned that the development team at Square Enix was diligently working on the game, promising that details would be shared gradually. True to his word, there's been a complete radio silence until now. In a recent interview with Gamereactor, Horii once again broke the silence, reassuring fans that the project remains on track.
All we have of Dragon Quest 12 is this logo, released in 2021.
"Yes, indeed, I can't say anything, I apologize," Horii 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 this update may not provide concrete details like a trailer or screenshots, it should reassure fans who were concerned about the game's fate amidst restructuring at Square Enix and a lack of updates.
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 to lead Square Enix’s mobile game division by that point.
