Dragon Quest is one of the longest-running Japanese RPG series in gaming and has announced the twelfth mainline installment in the series: Dragon Quest XII: Beyond Dreams. Produced by Square Enix of Japan (Also the creators of the equally long-running Final Fantasy series), this announcement was not without some hiccups as outlined in the announcement trailer.
Dragon Quest XII was originally announced in 2021 with a different subtitle: The Flames of Fate, and a logo in a much different, darker style. It was promised at the time to have a “darker, more mature game” aimed more at adults, a clash of style compared to the series usual light-hearted tone. Since its initial announcement, news about the game went completely silent until Wednesday, May 27th, 2026.
On the 40th anniversary of the series, a nine-minute announcement video dropped with series creator Yuji Horii and executive producer Yosuke Saito thanking fans for supporting the series over the course of the past 40 years. However, they acknowledge that the production of Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate was “hit a lot of hurdles along the way.” Part of this is development team restructuring and realizing that the original vision for the game did not meet what they felt a mainline Dragon Quest game should look like.
It cannot be overstated that part of the issues with the development team were the deaths of series composer Kochi Sugiyama and series artist Akira Toriyama (creator of Dragonball). Due to team restructuring and the belief that the game was not in line with the vision for what a mainline game in the series should be, development was scrapped and restarted, though Horii states that the designs by Akira Toriyama and the music by Kochi Sugiyama will both be present.
As said by Executive Producer Yosuke Saito, “It was a major decision, but I believe it was the right one to ensure the next Dragon Quest game will be one that all you fans of the series will really love.”
Part of the change resulting from the restart was a new logo and subtitle: Dragon Quest: Beyond Dreams.
The announcement from the creators was followed by a short trailer showcasing the game’s world, character designs, and visual aesthetic that greatly resembles Akira Toriyama’s signature light-hearted fantasy designs. All the while, the classic Dragon Quest theme plays. No gameplay was shown, as we now know the game has returned to the early stages of development.
Series creator Yuji Horii divulged about Dragon Quest XII: “It's the story of a young hero who’s haunted by strange visions in their sleep. What lies beyond dreams? Surely not a world of darkness, but a bright and exciting future. The game has gone in a different direction than the one we originally announced.”
No release date has been announced, nor which systems the game will be for. Another installment of the Dragon Quest side series “Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World” was also announced with no release date, though the developers hope to release it before Dragon Quest XII.
LINK TO ANNOUNCEMENT TRAILER:
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