During the Dragon Quest 30th Anniversary Project Presentation event, series creator Yuji Horii gave an official update on the upcoming "Dragon Quest XI." As per Gematsu, Horii stated that the game's story is nearly complete but the game itself is still in early stages of development.
Horii explained that while the story is nearly done, only the first section of the game is fully playable. Given the scope of "Dragon Quest" games, it is likely that there is a lot of work left to do in regards to finishing the playable portions of the title. Despite this, Horii did state that he wanted the game to come out during the series' 30th anniversary.
As pointed out in the report, this would mean the game would have to release sometime between May 27, 2016 and May 27, 2017. However, this release window is only targeting the Japanese market. Unlike other Square-Enix titles, including the "Final Fantasy" games, "Dragon Quest" titles normally release in Japan first before being offered elsewhere.
According to a report from US Gamer, this could mean that the game will not release in North America until late 2017 or 2018. This is most likely due to the length of time it often takes for a "Dragon Quest" game to be translated and released in other countries.
The report cites "Dragon Quest IX" as a sample of how long it takes for one of these titles to release outside of Japan. "Dragon Quest IX" was in development back in 2006 but it didn't come out in Japan until 2010. North America and Europe did not see an English release until one year later.
Then there is also the debacle regarding the 3DS versions of "Dragon Quest VII" and "Dragon Quest VIII." Both versions have seen a release in Japan but have yet to release in English-speaking countries.
"Dragon Quest XI," a return to the single-player RPG experience, will release for the PS4, PS3 and PS Vita.
