Dragon Quest fans can breathe a sigh of relief as series creator Yuji Horii has confirmed that Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate has not been canceled. Announced during the 35th anniversary celebration of the series back in 2021, Dragon Quest 12 marked the first mainline entry since 2017's Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age. Despite a period of silence since the last update in February, where Horii mentioned that the development team at Square Enix was “working hard” and would release information gradually, Horii has now reassured fans in a recent interview with Gamereactor that the project remains on track.

"Yes, indeed, I can't say anything, I apologize," Horii stated. "I am making it, putting lots of work into it... I can only say that the next work will be great too, [I'm] working really hard. Please look forward to it is the only thing I can say."

While this update might not be as substantial as a trailer or screenshots, it should provide some comfort to fans who were concerned that Dragon Quest 12 might have been canceled due to restructuring at Square Enix and a lack of updates.

In May 2024, Horii noted the deaths of Dragon Quest character designer Akira Toriyama and composer Koichi Sugiyama. By that time, the series’ lead producer Yu Miyake had already stepped down to lead Square Enix’s mobile game division.