Next-Gen Dragon Quest Game Already In Development

Square Enix has confirmed that a next-gen Dragon Quest, presumably Dragon Quest XII, is already in development by the Dragon Quest team. Details on the project are expectantly light, but Square Enix does note its goal is to create a game that will appeal to both new and old fans around the world. In other words, make a game that will interest more than just its hardcore fans. One way it will achieve this is with new hires, who will bring in fresh ideas.

According to Square Enix, the planning stage for the game's development is already complete, and the team is now entering a phase where it will work to improve what's there. Unfortunately, this is where the details dry up, and it sounds like we may not be hearing or seeing the game for quite some time.

As you will know, Dragon Quest is a long-running JRPG series that has been around since 1989, and has seen numerous spin-offs over the years as well, such as Dragon Quest Builders. The series is pretty big in Japan, but has never really cracked the western market in a meaningful way. It has its fans in the west, for sure, but it's not achieved any level of mainstream success, and some may say isn't as popular as it used to be.

That all said, the latest entry in the series proper was pretty great, as our official review attests to.

"In many ways, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Illusive Age is the perfect JRPG. A work of alchemical wonder, Square Enix's latest separates and distills everything that has made the genre -- and this series -- great over the decades, refines it, and puts it back together to make something new and surprising. Whether you've been playing Dragon Quest for almost thirty years like I have, or looking to dive in to your first JRPG, Dragon Quest XI stands as an exemplar of presentation, pacing, and polish......

"If you're long-time fan of the series, then I can tell you from personal experience that from the moment the overture march sounds out from the menu screen, until the time you put finally put the controller down at journey's end, you're in for the most beautiful and compelling Dragon Quest adventure you've ever experienced."

Thanks, Gematsu.