Dragon Quest 12 Still in Development Despite Square Enix Cancellations [IGN]

Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate is still in development despite myriad cancellations at Square Enix, series creator Yuji Horii has confirmed.

As reported by GamesRadar, Horii posted on X/Twitter about the game in what’s essentially the first update since its announcement in May 2021. He didn’t provide any new details on Dragon Quest 12 despite it being the series’ anniversary on May 27, but at least confirmed Square Enix was still working on it.

“Everyone, thank you for all the congratulations,” Horii said of the 38th anniversary celebrations. “I’m hoping it will be a fitting posthumous work for the two people who have passed away.”

It’s unclear who these two developers are (though one could be series character designer and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, who passed away in March 2024), but the post will at least alleviate fans’ concerns that the game was cancelled altogether.

Square Enix announced in April 2024 it was taking a ¥22.1 billion (approximately $140.9 million) “content abandonment loss” as it changed its development plans to be “more selective.” Given the lack of updates around Dragon Quest 12, many fans grew concerned it was affected by the reshuffle.

Dragon Quest 12 was announced as part of the series’ 35th anniversary celebration and will be the first mainline entry since 2017’s Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age. No release window, platforms, or gameplay was shared, just the game’s logo.

Also this week, Square Enix said Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, which will recreate the classic role-playing game in the graphical style of Square Enix’s Octopath Traveller series, now “draws near” as it’s confirmed to be a multiplatform title.

A post on X/Twitter teasing the game, which was announced in May 2021 but has gone practically unheard of since, confirmed it will come to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and the Windows Store.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.