Dragon Quest XI is coming to the West in 2018 as Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age

  

Update, 2.30pm, July 31: When Square Enix announced Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, it didn’t specify which platforms the game would be released for in the West. Today, Sony has confirmed that the game will come to the West for PS4. It released the same announcement that was previously shown, but this time with PlayStation branding. 

It’ll be interesting to see if the West will receive the same versions as Japan, which saw the game release on PS4 and 3DS at the weekend, with a Switch version to follow.

Original Story: Dragon Quest XI came out on Friday in Japan, and in celebration of its release creator Yuji Horii has announced that the game will be localised and released in North America and Europe. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age will be the full name in the West. There’s been no confirmation on which platforms it’ll be releasing for, but Square Enix has confirmed that it’ll be out in 2018.

Yuji Horii, famed game designer of the Dragon Quest series, makes an appearance with a swarm of Slimes in tow to share some exciting news! pic.twitter.com/ytHpJyozkd

— Dragon Quest (@DragonQuest) July 28, 2017

Horii said, ‘The game is currently being localized into five languages, including English, there is quite a lot of text’, which is understandable being such a lore and conversation-heavy game. ‘But we’re doing our best and working hard to get this game to all of you as soon as possible’, explained Horii, as he admirably maintained his air of composure and professionalism in ignoring the giant blue slime plushie on his right, which would be an arduous task for most humans.

This is the eleventh main entry in the Dragon Quest series, which is hugely popular in Japan. Its Japanese popularity has never quite been replicated in the West, which is a shame, because it’s really rather good. The most recent Dragon Quest title release in Europe was the 3DS title Dragon Quest VIII, a port of the excellent PS2 Dragon Quest VIII: The Journey of the Cursed King. Ironically, it’s the spin-off titles such as Dragon Quest Heroes and Dragon Quest Builders that have done pretty well in the West in recent years, with Dragon Quest Builders being a particularly well-received title.

Dragon Quest XI is out in Japan on the PS4 and 3DS, with a Switch release of the game coming soon. Square Enix said, ‘More details about the Western version will be revealed in Fall 2017’, so hopefully they’ll give an idea of which formats the game will be released on in Europe and when we can expect to see it.