Dragon Quest series creator Yuji Horii and Square Enix producer Ryota Aomi are doing the rounds in Asia promoting the June 4 release of Dragon Quest Heroes in the region. And during an interview with Korean website Ruliweb (Japanese translation via Hachima Kikou), Horii suggests there will be a new PlayStation-related Dragon Quest announcement soon.
Get the interview tidbits below.
Did you put in the characters you personally wanted?
Horii: “If we had the time and money for it, we would’ve put every character in. For Dragon Quest Heroes II, I want to add an even greater diversity of characters.”
Aomi: “For the older fans of Dragon Quest III and IV, the younger fans of VII and VIII, and so on, the characters I wanted to put in are different depending on the generation.”
Will the voice actors from Dragon Quest Heroes continue to pitch for future Dragon Quest games?
Horii: “For Dragon Quest Heroes II, of course I want the voice actors to stay the same. And for the 3DS version of Dragon Quest VIII, Jessica and Yangus are also the same [as their Dragon Quest Heroes voice actors].”
Since Dragon Quest Heroes II is in development, does that mean there will be no further updates for the first game?
Aomi: “Not at the moment. We intend to reflect upon the feedback we receive from the Hangul (Korean) release in our output going forward.”
Regarding PlayStation platforms, it’s been 10 years since the release of Dragon Quest VIII, but are there other Dragon Quest series games [planned for PlayStation]?
Horii: “I can’t say anything right now, but something might be announced before long.”
There’s a lot happening in the world of Dragon Quest, given next year is the series’ 30th anniversary. Here’s a recap:
- Dragon Quest XI was confirmed in development in June 2014, with Horii hinting at the game being a console release rather than a handheld one. When Dragon Quest Heroes was announced, Horii confirmed Dragon Quest XI was in development alongside it.
- A new Dragon Quest Monsters was confirmed in development in August 2014.
- In December 2014, Square Enix announced Theatrhythm Dragon Quest for 3DS, which launched in Japan on March 26. A western release has not yet been announced.
- In January, Horii said there were “many projects in planning” heading towards Dragon Quest‘s 30th anniversary.
- Dragon Quest Heroes launched for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 in Japan in February. A North American and European release is planned for PlayStation 4 later this year.
- In February, Square Enix were hiring for a “new genre” Dragon Quest game.
- Dragon Quest Heroes II was announced for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita in April.
- Dragon Quest X Online Version 3 launched for Wii U, Wii, and PC in Japan on April 30.
- A 3DS version of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King featuring new characters and scenarios was announced earlier this month.