Dragon Quest 12 Development Restarted from Scratch, Now Named Beyond Dreams

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The original Dragon Quest game came out on May 27, 1986, a date now celebrated as Dragon Quest Day. While the celebrations are typically small, there’s often a special livestream to share news about the series, especially during milestone years like those ending in zero or five. The 40th anniversary of Dragon Quest wasn’t a huge event, but the Dragon Quest Team did share an update – and the biggest news was more details about the upcoming Dragon Quest 12.

Dragon Quest 12 was first announced in 2021 during a celebration of the Dragon Quest series’ 35th anniversary. The announcement included a short trailer revealing the game’s title: Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate. Series creator Yuji Horii mentioned the game would have a more mature and serious tone, and hinted at changes to the traditional battle system, leading some fans to wonder if the series would move away from turn-based combat.

That comment was misinterpreted and sparked a lot of worry among longtime fans. Five years later, the biggest mystery in the JRPG world remains unsolved. While Dragon Quest 12 recently released a new teaser with story details and some scenes, we still haven’t seen any actual gameplay.

Dragon Quest 12 Development Was Completely Restarted

The latest trailer for Dragon Quest 12 gives us a better look at the main character, though it’s still unclear whether they will be a silent protagonist. This comes after comments from Yuji Horii about how silent characters might look silly with the game’s more realistic graphics. We now know the story will follow a young hero haunted by a mysterious vision during their sleep. Yuji Horii explains that this vision points to a hopeful future, implying the game won’t have the darker, more serious tone previously discussed five years ago.

The new trailer revealed that development of the game had to completely restart due to problems, which significantly changed the original vision for Dragon Quest 12. This even led to a change in the game’s title, from Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate to Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams. According to executive producer Yosuke Saito, the team had to reorganize and begin development anew, meaning the game will take longer to release. He explained that the initial version of Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate faced numerous challenges.

Honestly, hearing that a new Dragon Quest is still a ways off isn’t ideal, especially since it’s been nine years since Dragon Quest 11! But a new mainline Dragon Quest is always a huge deal, so I’m totally okay with Square Enix taking the time they need to make it amazing. And the best part? Yuji Horii said Akira Toriyama’s character designs and Koji Sugiyama’s music will still be part of the game – that news made so many fans, including me, incredibly happy!

We’re experiencing some delays with the game’s release because of changes to the development team and a fresh start to the project. Creating Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate has faced several challenges.

To be honest, the game’s restart might actually be a good thing. It seems like Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams will likely return to the classic style that made the Dragon Quest series so famous. This could mean Yuji Horii’s plans to change the combat system might be scrapped, and we might still get traditional turn-based battles in Dragon Quest 12.

As a big fan, it feels like Square Enix sees Final Fantasy as a series that’s always reinventing itself – totally changing up the story, how it looks, and how you play, but keeping the core Final Fantasy lore. Meanwhile, Dragon Quest stays pretty true to its roots, which is comforting! Honestly, I’m not too worried about the delays with Dragon Quest 12. As long as the final game is great, I’m happy they’re taking the time to get it right and make whatever changes they feel are necessary.

New Dragon Quest Monsters Announced

Okay, so the news about Dragon Quest’s 40th anniversary wasn’t everything we’d hoped for, but honestly, it’s great to finally get some updates! It’s good to see they’re being more open about how Dragon Quest 12 is coming along. And as a big fan of the monster collecting games, I’m super excited about Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World – a brand new one is always welcome!

After becoming CEO of Square Enix in 2023, Takashi Kiryu quickly introduced new plans for the company. In 2024, he revealed a three-year strategy called “Square Enix Reboots and Awakens,” designed to build a foundation for future growth. This plan focused on releasing games on multiple platforms, enhancing how players interact with the company, and creating higher-quality games instead of simply making a lot of them. A key part of this involved concentrating on Square Enix’s most popular franchises, particularly Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.

It’s been two years since we started this plan, and we’re already seeing positive results. Square’s recent financial report shows that even though they sold fewer games, their overall revenue increased, demonstrating that focusing on quality is a successful strategy.

The Dragon Quest series has been prominently featured with a successful strategy of releasing updated versions of classic games. Over the past three years, we’ve seen the HD-2D remakes of the original trilogy and Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. Though some people don’t typically enjoy remakes, this approach keeps the series relevant, builds a larger fanbase, and helps ensure new Dragon Quest games are widely played. Now, fans are eagerly awaiting an official release date for Dragon Quest 12 to see if this strategy, as envisioned by Takashi Kiryu, will ultimately prove successful – even if it takes until 2028 or later.

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2026-05-27 16:40