Dragon Quest 12 Development Restarted From Scratch After "A Lot Of Hurdles"

Dragon Quest is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a new update for Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate. Development has been restarted after a team reshuffle, and the game now has a brand-new name: Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams. The original version faced major hurdles, leading to a decision to move things around and start over from scratch after discussions with Yuji Horii about what a mainline Dragon Quest game should be. A sneak peek shows new characters, landscapes, and monsters. The art direction remains heavily inspired by Akira Toriyama, who designed characters for the series since its start and worked on every main entry until his death in 2024. Development delays reportedly caused series producer Yu Miyake to step down in 2024, and updates have been sporadic since Dragon Quest 11 in 2018.

"“We're hard at work on Dragon Quest 12, but due to a reshuffle of the team and a restart of development, it's going to be a bit longer until it's in your hands,” Saito said in a Dragon Quest livestream. “Work on the original version, Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate, hit a lot of hurdles along the way. But as we kept talking with Mr. Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest game designer) and pinned down what a mainline Dragon Quest game should look like, we decided to move things around and start over from scratch.”"

"“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.” Saito then debuted a sneak peek at the game, revealing a colorful collection of scenes featuring new characters, landscapes, and monsters. One thing that has been preserved for Dragon Quest 12 is its art direction, as it's still heavily inspired by the work of Akira Toriyama."

"The late Dragon Ball creator was a character designer on the series since its inception and worked on every entry in the main series until his death in 2024. Development on Dragon Quest 12 hit a rocky patch in 2024, when series producer Yu Miyake reportedly stepped down due to repeated delays. Updates have been sporadic on the game, which follows the last mainline installment, 2018's Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age."

Read at GameSpot