Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate is officially still in development, according to series creator Yuji Horii. Despite a prolonged silence from Square Enix, Horii has reassured fans that the game has not been canceled and remains an active project.
The game was originally announced during the Dragon Quest series' 35th-anniversary event in 2021, marking the first mainline entry since 2017’s Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age. Since then, updates have been sparse. In February of this year, Horii previously mentioned that the development team at Square Enix was “working hard” on the title and promised information would come “little by little.” However, the months that followed offered no further news—until now.
In a recent interview with [ttpp], Horii reiterated his commitment to the project and confirmed that development is ongoing. “Yes, indeed, I can’t say anything—I apologize,” he stated. “I am making it, putting lots of work into it... I can only say that the next work will be great too, [I’m] working really hard. Please look forward to it is the only thing I can say.”
While concrete details remain scarce, this update should ease concerns that the game may have fallen victim to Square Enix’s internal restructuring or the unfortunate loss of key figures like character designer Akira Toriyama and composer Koichi Sugiyama. Additionally, former lead producer Yu Miyake had moved to head up Square Enix’s mobile game division earlier this year, prompting even more uncertainty around the game's future.
At this time, all that exists of Dragon Quest 12 is the official logo released back in 2021. Fans continue to wait patiently for gameplay reveals, story details, and a release window.
For now, one thing is clear: Dragon Quest 12 is alive and in development. And while the wait continues, Horii’s latest message gives hope that the next chapter in the legendary RPG series is still on the way.
