Fans of the iconic Dragon Quest series can breathe a sigh of relief: series creator Yuji Horii has confirmed that Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate has not been canceled. Announced during the franchise's 35th anniversary celebration in 2021, Dragon Quest 12 marks the first mainline installment since 2017's Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age. Despite the silence that has followed, the last update came in February when Horii shared that the development team at Square Enix is diligently working on the game and promised to release information gradually.
True to his word, there has been a period of quiet since then. However, in a recent interview with Gamereactor, Horii has once again stepped forward to reassure fans that the project remains 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."
All we have of Dragon Quest 12 so far is this logo, which was unveiled in 2021.
While the lack of trailers or screenshots might leave fans wanting more, Horii's reassurance should ease concerns about the game's status, especially amidst restructuring at Square Enix and a lack of updates. In May 2024, Horii acknowledged the passing of Dragon Quest's character designer Akira Toriyama and composer Koichi Sugiyama. Additionally, the series’ lead producer Yu Miyake had already transitioned to lead Square Enix’s mobile game division by that time.
