Dragon Quest 11, the latest single-player release in the hugely popular JRPG franchise, is reportedly coming Westward according to a Dutch PR outlet. Gamer.nl is reporting that it has been in contact with a Netherlands-based PR company which has the contract for Dragon Quest 11's Dutch release. Square Enix, the developer and publisher of Dragon Quest 11, has yet to otherwise announce the RPG's localization for western audiences.
Fans have anxiously been awaiting localization news regarding Dragon Quest 11, which launches July 29 in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation 4. Worry had begun to set in, since Square Enix has seemingly decided that the last main Dragon Quest title, an MMO, wouldn't fit with Western audiences and has kept it Japan-exclusive. Any localization news is good news, and confirmation from a PR company is much more weighty than a typical rumor.
Western audiences seem to be hungry for more JRPGs after the impressive success of both Persona 5 and Final Fantasy 15. Even Final Fantasy 14's latest expansion, Stormblood, has been pulling in larger numbers. For whatever reason, however, Square Enix has always felt like Dragon Quest didn't deserve the same support or localization effort that other major JRPG franchises did in the West. Despite that, Dragon Quest retains a large following of fans outside of Japan who would love both Dragon Quest 10 and 11 as soon as possible.
The fact remains that not a single Dragon Quest game in the main series has been released in the West within a year of its Japanese launch. Square Enix has more faith in its spin-off titles like Dragon Quest Builders, Dragon Quest Heroes, and even the Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker RPG. Suffice to say, while Dragon Quest 11 almost certainly won't launch in the west anywhere near its Japanese launch date, if it can manage to come west prior to August 2018 it's a victory.
So, while today's semi-official confirmation of Dragon Quest 11's localization is great news, it's perhaps best to control expectations. A Dragon Quest 9 localization wasn't confirmed until months after it launched in Japan. And there's always the chance that this news is simply incorrect and no localization news is forthcoming. The worst case scenario would be Square Enix deciding not to release Dragon Quest 11 in the West at all, following the path of Dragon Quest 10. Perhaps that's managing expectations a bit too much.
Dragon Quest 11 is coming to PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo 3DS on July 29 in Japan, with plans to bring the JRPG to the Nintendo Switch in the future.
Source: Gamer.nl