This is a particularly special year for the Dragon Quest franchise, as 2021 marks the 35th anniversary for the JRPG series, which saw its original release all the way back in 1986. Few game series have survived for 35 years, and fewer rival Dragon Quest's 11 main series releases and plenty of spin-offs. To celebrate the occasion, Square Enix has announced a rare anniversary stream for Dragon Quest's 35th anniversary to air on May 26.
The Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary event will be a unique show that fans of the franchise are going to want to experience for themselves. Not only will it be a celebration of all things Dragon Quest, but it's also going to be a look toward the future of Dragon Quest, too. Square Enix isn't willing to say exactly what game it's talking about, but it's confirmed to mean the reveal of a new Dragon Quest among other potential Dragon Quest-related announcements.
A new main series Dragon Quest announcement would be the most likely possibility, but there are always other possibilities. It's been long enough that a new Dragon Quest Builders could be announced, a new Dragon Quest Monsters, or even a surprise continuation of the Mystery Dungeon or Slime series. But the most likely option is a main series release. Dragon Quest 11 was launched in 2017 and a new game has come out every four years since 1986, so an announcement should be forthcoming one way or another.
With that in mind, the pandemic has affected game development across the world. It's possible that Square Enix's plans for the next main series Dragon Quest have been postponed, so other projects will be focused on later this month. Alternatively, Square Enix has been uniquely productive during the pandemic, so the next Dragon Quest could still be coming soon.
One big question that many fans will be curious to hear the answer to is whether Square Enix plans the next Dragon Quest game to be a worldwide launch. Dragon Quest has always launched in Japan first, but the popularity of Dragon Quest 11 may force Square Enix to reconsider. The anniversary event is being advertised as being broadcast in both Japanese and English, which could be a hint.
Dragon Quest Day is May 27, so while the presentation will start airing on May 26 in the United States, it'll be Dragon Quest Day in Japan. The Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary presentation officially begins May 26 at 8:30 pm PT/11:30 pm ET, so it may be a late endeavor for some fans.