Welp, Dragon Quest IX has been confirmed for a Fall 2009 release in Japan. OK, not really, but in essence: Square Enix has finally pinned a date on the remake of Dragon Quest V for DS. It’s coming in July of this year, eight months after the Dragon Quest IV remake hit.
So from there we can extrapolate that DQIX won’t arrive for another sixteen month after DQV. The company has said that they want to release all the remakes before IX comes out, and given the series’ track record — every single chapter ends up being horribly delayed — it’s reasonable to assume that the remakes are actually being used as filler while the company dickers around with the sequel, spaced out evenly to fill the void before DQIX arrives and line the corporate coffers. And we still have Dragon Quest VI to go, so that’s an eight-month pad for DQVI and another eight while they put the wraps on DQIX.
What does this mean for America? Uh, it means… we’ll be playing the game before the decade is up, probably. But remember, the decade ends December 31, 2010, so hopefully you weren’t in too much of a hurry to play. Yeah, I know, “simultaneous worldwide release” is Square Enix’s new motto, but I’m not sure that really means worldwide. I’m pretty sure it means “Japan first; everyone else at the same time… a year or so later.”
I’m glad Square-Enix USA announced FF IV DS for this June. But seriously, where is my frakking Dragon Quest IV US release announcement?!
This puts a question in my mind: has any company ever changed its ways so dramatically as to get rid of its most annoying traditions completely? I’m sure there has…maybe…but I can’t think of any, especially ones as completely stubborn as Square Enix. I only ask it because they are holding themselves back from fulfilling their full potential by staying stubborn. The super-delayed release dates, the online-phobia, the fear of new IP (there are signs of change here but still…), and so on. Will they ever change and what will it take?
They could placate their US fans by announcing US releases of DQ remakes. Please Square Enix – I will give more money than I probably should to play a DQIV remake localized by you!
Yet that is one of their flaws. As far as releasing games, they don’t care about fan demand, just the bottom line. Its the exact opposite of Atlus. When fan demand rose for it, Atlus confirmed that Persona 3 Fes was coming out here. However, when there was a demand for the International Zodiac rerelease of FFXII (or Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+, take your pick) to be released here, they ignored it, probably because it wasn’t worth it to them.
Wow, it looks like Dragon Quest V: Dragon Quest VII Edition. Maybe they’ll end up remaking VII while they’re at it and gain another 8 month buffer?
Centuries start on the 1’s but Decades start on the 0’s.. so this decade ends 2009.
Not on my watch!
Well, on my watch there’s no years at all, or even months. I have to move it forward a day every two months.
I’ll be interested to see if there’s English text extractable via cheat device for DQV the way there was for IV. If there’s not, I’d be willing to take that as a fairly clear indicator that (Square)Enix is going to fuck us over. Again.
…Logged in as Merus? Huh? (This is RAC, in case it shows up wrong.)
I routinely curse Square nowadays. Every time they decide to announce something’s release, it never has to do with the DQ remakes we’ve all been waiting forever for.
Yeah, my watch doesn’t have decade or century hands, either. Just minute, millennium and eon.
Is it a happy land whence they meet?