Yuji Horii Teases Dragon Quest 12: 'Lots of Work' Going Into Mysterious Sequel

Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has recently confirmed that Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate has not been canceled, dispelling any rumors and reassuring fans about the game's ongoing development. Dragon Quest 12 was announced back in 2021 as part of the series' 35th anniversary celebration, marking it as the first mainline entry since 2017's Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age. Since its announcement, updates have been sparse, with the last significant news coming in February when Horii broke his silence to say the development team at Square Enix is “working hard” and that information would be released gradually.

True to his word, there's been a lull in updates until now. In a recent interview with Gamereactor, Horii once again surfaced to reassure fans that the project remains on track. He stated, "Yes, indeed, I can't say anything, I apologize. 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 doesn't include a trailer or screenshots, it should relieve fans worried that Dragon Quest 12 might have been canceled amid 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, signaling significant changes within the team behind Dragon Quest.