For Dragon Quest Day, series creator Yuji Horii shared a Dragon Quest XII update for fans, addressing concerns over the game’s future since the death of artist Akira Toriyama.
The game was first confirmed to be in development in May 2021. Toriyama had already done artwork for it alongside Koichi Sugiyama. But his passing and a lack of news on the next installment in the beloved RPG series naturally played into fans’ fears the game could be affected.
Dragon Quest XII Update: Horii wants to honor Toriyama’s work
Horii didn’t offer any new looks at the game in a tweet concerning Dragon Quest Day, but tried to assure fans there would be better news in a future Dragon Quest XII update.
”Thank you so much to everyone for all the congratulations,” wrote Horii. ”I’m sorry for the worry about Dragon Quest 12, but I was just having a meeting about it. I can’t say much yet, but I want to make something worthy of the posthumous work of the two people who passed away. I’ll do my best!”
Another concern would have been the recent news of a company overhaul. That saw franchise producer Yu Miyake step down and head Square Enix’s smartphone division. That confirmed there had been internal delays. Those likely led to an extreme lack of any Dragon Quest XII update for nearly three years.
The next mainline entry in the Dragon Quest series is subtitled The Flames of Fate. It’s expected to be released simultaneously worldwide. However, Square Enix has still yet to announce platforms and a release window.
