Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate isn't canceled despite the lack of updates confirms series creator Yuji Horii, who says the team is "working hard" on the JRPG

A Dragon Quest Slime enemy with a shocked expression in a screenshot from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Hero reveal trailer. — (Image credit: Nintendo, Square Enix)

Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate was announced almost four years ago, if you can believe it, but despite news being incredibly light on the ground since, series creator Yuji Horii has confirmed that the devs are still "working hard" on it.

The next new Dragon Quest instalment was first revealed during the series' 35th Anniversary livestream back in 2021 alongside Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, and while the latter was finally released last year, we're still yet to see anything of The Flames of Fate other than its logo. However, speaking in a recent livestream alongside his KosoKoso Hōsō Kyoku radio show group (translated by Automaton), Horii shuts down concerns that the JRPG could be canceled, and says he hopes the team will be able to gradually share more about it.

Of course, Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate isn't the only Dragon Quest game in the works at Square Enix, as HD-2D remakes of Dragon Quest 1 and 2 are set to release at some point this year, completing the HD-2D collection of the original trilogy. The upcoming remakes don't have an exact release date just yet, but they should be coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC before the end of 2025.

Back in 2021, it was hinted that Dragon Quest 12 will shake up the series as we know it, at least somewhat, as the then president of Square Enix, Yosuke Matsuda, said it'll take "into account the next 10 to 20 years" of the series, noting that while some parts will fit into the traditional Dragon Quest image, "new elements are also necessary." What that'll look like in the full release is yet to be seen – after all, we've not even had a proper trailer yet, but with Square Enix's track record of creating some of the best JRPGs out there, it's definitely worth staying excited about.

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.