Looks like Square Enix is making Dragon Quest Day a proper event this year. The series turns 40 on Wednesday, May 27, and the publisher is celebrating with a livestream from the Dragon Quest team at 6:00 AM Pacific (9:00 AM Eastern). The stream is being officially teased as an “update,” but series creator Yuji Horii has all but confirmed what to expect, telling KosoKoso Broadcast earlier this month that “I think we’ll be able to make an announcement about the next game.” The next game, of course, is Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, which has been radio silent since its 2021 reveal aside from the occasional Horii interview confirming it’s still in development.
May 27 has been Dragon Quest Day since the original Dragon Quest launched in Japan on that date back in 1986, and Square Enix has leaned into the anniversary timing in recent years. Last year’s Dragon Quest Day was used to announce the October 30 release date for the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, which capped off the Erdrick Trilogy. Horii also said the stream will include “various other things” besides the next-game announcement, which lines up with how busy the franchise has been lately with Dragon Quest VII Reimagined launching in February and Dragon Quest Smash/Grow following in April.
Personally, I’ve been waiting on Dragon Quest XII since the moment it was teased, so a real look at the game with five years of silence behind it would be a pretty big deal. Tune in tomorrow morning to find out.
