Yuji Horii: Hard at Work on Dragon Quest 12, Details Under Wraps

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. This news comes as a comfort after a period of silence that had led to speculation about the game's fate.

Dragon Quest 12 was announced amidst the 35th anniversary celebrations of the franchise in 2021, marking it as the first mainline entry since Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age in 2017. Since its announcement, updates have been scarce. The last official word came in February when Horii broke his silence, stating that the development team at Square Enix was "working hard" and that information about the game would be released incrementally.

True to his word, there's been a noticeable silence since then. However, in a recent interview with Gamereactor, Horii has once again surfaced to reassure 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."

All we have of Dragon Quest 12 is this logo, released in 2021.

While not as detailed as a trailer or screenshots, Horii's reassurance should alleviate concerns that Dragon Quest 12 might have been canceled due to 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 head Square Enix’s mobile game division, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the game's development.