I think there are a lot of misconceptions about DQ12's development out there, so I thought I would make a pass trying to cover them comprehensively using the intimate knowledge of gamedev, dq, and japan I've accrued over my personal life and career. Please enjoy.
- Is DQ12 cancelled?
No. The latest mainline entry in a decades-spanning successful series doesn't get cancelled. DQ is like the Call of Duty of Japan.
- But what about SE's financial woes?
Mainline (if not most) Dragon Quest games aren't developed like typical SE games. They almost always contract with outside talent. Horii himself isn't directly employed by SE. He's the CEO of his own company Armor Project. Even if SE went down in flames, Dragon Quest would be the first SE-proximal property that would find a way to persist unabated.
- But Toriyama...
While his loss is tragic and we all mourn him, no single artist is actually that pivotal to a DQ project. He's just one of many concept artists that they use due to the sheer volume of workload. And as I'm sure you've noticed, a lot of his designs are repeated between entries requiring less new work. And he never actually directly made game assets.
- So DQ12's development is troubled, right?
Yes and no. Horii has been open that it wasn't always smooth sailing, but DQ12's challenges don't exist in a vacuum. With Covid and everything else that has happened in recent memory, it has been a challenging business environment. But there aren't a lot of reasons to think we're looking at something like FFXV here.
- But DQ12 was announced so long ago?
There was a 7 year gap between the announcement of Versus 13 and its unveiling as FFXV in 2013, and it finally came out in 2016. That's 10 years! And that was during a period of time when the industry release cadence was much faster. In reality, it's only been about five years since DQ12 was announced and the industry moves much slower today because the work is so much more expensive and intricate.
If anything the mistake they made was not recognizing that the ways the industry has changed, and announcing it so early and/or not beginning work on it sooner.
- But it's a bad sign, right?
No; the fact that things have been taking this long probably means it's going to be a massive, moment-defining game. If you loved DQ11, you're in for a treat when DQ12 does finally come out. And I am confident it will.