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Dragon Quest series creator Yuji Horii is 70 years old, but has no plans to retire yet

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
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Yuji Horii, the man who created the Dragon Quest series and defined the VN/text adventure genre with The Portopia Serial Murder Case, turned 70 this year. Horii’s age is often brought up as a point of concern among Dragon Quest fans who don’t want to see the creator retire and stop making games. In a recent interview with The Sankei Shimbun, Horii addressed this topic.

When asked if he has a specific retirement age in mind, the prolific game designer says, “I’m not planning anything. It would be sad to just quit everything, so I want to keep working for as long as I’m able.” On the other hand, Horii comments that he is currently delegating tasks to others “little by little” while working on things personally as much as possible. This suggests that, while not keen on retiring any time soon, the creator is conscious of handing down his craft to younger people.
At the moment, Horii is working on Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, the latest main entry to the series. He says his current goal is to complete the game, but that any further comments about it will “get him in trouble.” The creator is also involved in the development of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake and mobile titles, and is even entertaining the possibility of working on a brand-new adventure game in the future.
 

Hudo

Member
Thank God. Horii is one of the few dudes left working with Square Enix who knows what he's doing.

I am really excited for DQ12. And I heavily suspect the reason why he he didn't even show off character art is because there's most likely a marketing deal with Nintendo for Switch 2 for it.
 
Thank God. Horii is one of the few dudes left working with Square Enix who knows what he's doing.

I am really excited for DQ12. And I heavily suspect the reason why he he didn't even show off character art is because there's most likely a marketing deal with Nintendo for Switch 2 for it.

I wouldn't be surprised, Dragon Quest I feel has always been a perfect fit on a Nintendo system. Like Kingdom Hearts

I think there's a possibility that Dragon Quest 12 might be a timed exclusive or multiplatform release from the start
 

Hudo

Member
I wouldn't be surprised, Dragon Quest I feel has always been a perfect fit on a Nintendo system. Like Kingdom Hearts

I think there's a possibility that Dragon Quest 12 might be a timed exclusive or multiplatform release from the start
It's the only real explanation I can come up with, at least. Even with DQ11, they at least showed off some Toriyama art of the hero. We didn't even get that for DQ12.
 
I hope Dragon Quest 12 stays the same and doesn't have a shake up. Look at what happened to Final Fantasy past 12 👀
This implies that 12 kept some sort of status quo that has been around since FF1.

I feel like Dragon Quest fans do themselves a disservice by constantly comparing it to a series that is known for mixing things up in almost every entry. Maybe SMT or something would be a better comparison. That I.P. tends to stay mostly consistent.
 

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
Over 3 years now since DQ12 was announced and dev with UE5. When will we see the first reveal?!

TGS... 👀
Sadly DQ12 won't be at TGS this year. Here's Square's full line-up for the event:

Square Enix​


■ Official TGS Website: jp.square-enix.com

■ Lineup
  • Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake (PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, PC) – Playable, Stage, Theater
  • Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince (Switch, PC, iOS, Android) – Theater
  • FANTASIAN Neo Dimension (PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Switch, PC) – Playable, Stage, Theater
  • Final Fantasy XIV Online (PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, PC) – Playable, Stage, Theater
  • Final Fantasy XVI (PS5, PC) – Stage, Theater
  • Life is Strange: Double Exposure (PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, PC) – Stage, Theater
  • PowerWash Simulation (PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – Theater
  • Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven (PS5, PS4, Switch, PC) – Playable, Stage, Theater
  • Visions of Mana (PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, PC) – Theater
 

Cao Cao

Member
Dragon Quest 11 came out 7 years ago in 2017!
Modern Gaming is so boring. God PS1/PS2 kept bringing RPGs all the time.
SMT Nocturne, DDS 1+2 all came in only 2 years like wtf.
 
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IFireflyl

Gold Member

“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”​

― Mark Twain (to Yuji Horii, probably)
 
Dragon Quest XI is amazing.
DQXI was actually my first turn-based JRPG and it triggered a new era in gaming for me. Bought it on a whim on the Switch during COVID lockdowns and it blew me away. After finishing DQXI I went back to play Xenogears, Xenoblade Chornicles: DE, FFVII (OG), Chrono Trigger, and others for the first time. I can see myself returning to play any of those games until I die.

I don't understand why DQXI gets a lot of hate from what I've seen. It holds a special place in my heart for being the catalyst that made me play other legendary JRPGs.
 
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