Cognition Dissemination: Where’s Dragon Quest XI?

Do you remember Dragon Quest XI? It was announced by Square Enix as a return to tradition for the franchise. Both Dragon Quest IX and X deviated from the well-trodden path for multiplayer-like experiences (especially the latter, as a full-on MMORPG), but everyone who asked for a single-player successor to Dragon Quest VIII will be getting their wish here. Even better, it was announced for release on PS4 and 3DS in the form of two different games with the same characters and stories, taking a page out of Level 5’s approach with the first Ni no Kuni title. At the time of its reveal, both versions appeared to be coming along well development-wise, ensuring that they would make the franchise’s 30th Anniversary.

Since we’re discussing Square Enix titles here, one version of which is being made for a current-generation console, it’s not surprising that they may not have been as complete as suspected. I asked whether you (assuming people are reading this) remembered these because it’s been over a year since the reveal conference, and little-to-no info has been provided since. All they’ve mentioned about it was how it would definitely make the 30th Anniversary, which is being celebrated within a specific timeframe. That period started in late-May, with the release of Dragon Quest Heroes 2, and will conclude at the end of next May. The games are coming later than many initially expected, but it should give the development teams more time to complete them.

But that still doesn’t explain why they’ve gone dark, despite looking polished a year ago. The PS4 version’s development was expected to progress at a brisk pace thanks to eschewing the usage of the company’s problematic Luminous Engine for Unreal Engine 4. In other words, they wanted to avoid having a game whose development cycle even came halfway close to mimicking Final Fantasy XVs, one among four other development hell-laden Japanese games finally releasing this year (despite another possible delay). But middleware won’t help overcome issues associated with asset creation, involving the creation of enemy models and locations in a large world, the most time-consuming aspect of development. This thankfully isn’t enough to indicate it being in development hell, but it might have been announced too early. It’s a Square Enix tradition.

Meanwhile, the 3DS version looked far more complete than its console counterpart, to a point where it seemed like it needed only another year of development. It likely cost half as much to produce as the console version at most, even when factoring in their desire to include two presentation styles. The 3DS iteration is aimed towards those who fondly remember DQ’s legacy, in having a 3D version befitting the 3DS’ capabilities (which partially resembles Dragon Quest VII on 3DS), and the 2D version like the original DQVII and the DS remakes. I don’t suspect development woes are holding this one up, so they appear to be maintaining Horii’s intention of wanting the console and handheld versions to release simultaneously.

DQXI’s absence sticks out more when you consider Square Enix’s upcoming release schedule for the franchise. It also shows why they’d have nothing to lose by showing them off now, since after releasing three games in the franchise during the first half of this year, there are no upcoming DQ games besides them. (Funnily enough, it’s the opposite of how things are in western territories, where three are scheduled to arrive within the next six to eight months.) Showing off DQ also wouldn’t take anything away from titles in their other franchises, especially flagship installments like FFXV, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Kingdom Hearts III.

What’s also curious is how the announcement presentation uploaded by Square Enix is now private on their YouTube channel. This could be due to something as innocuous as losing the rights to something, or something significant like one game changing in a significant way — though the likelihood of the latter is low. For as much as Japanese developers tend to have a higher sense of secrecy, this isn’t a customary practice among this company.

One of my main concerns about this arriving later than expected relates to the 3DS version’s localization chances. It’s still a shock to see Nintendo publishing the 3DS versions of DQVII and VIII here, but I’m hoping their sales expectations aren’t too high. Hopefully I’m being unnecessarily pessimistic here, because there’s no way either company involved will even consider localizing the handheld version if both of those titles put up lackluster sales. There remains a high chance of us getting the PS4 version, though, thanks to the system’s overwhelming worldwide success and its impressive presentation.

Since it’s been a year, I’m eager to see how both versions have progressed in terms of their visuals and gameplay. I’m sure Square Enix has a special DQ-themed event in the cards where they’ll show this again, which should happen by the end of the year at the latest.

P.S. Meanwhile, us English-speakers will have plenty of DQ options in the near future, in the form of the aforementioned DQVII and VIII for 3DS, and Dragon Quest Builders for PS4 and Vita. Nintendo is in the middle of promoting DQVII through a series of introductory videos, which will continue as we progress toward its September 16th release date. And though Square Enix hasn’t kicked promotion for Builders into high gear yet, they should start soon, leading up to its October 11th date. They should do everything within their power and budget to help these sell, so keep your eyes open if you’re a DQ fan, or you’re interested in trying the franchise out.