Dragon Quest Turns 40: Here Are the 3 Events of May 27 You Can’t Miss

The first event is the launch of the 40th anniversary special page, scheduled for May 26 at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET (May 27 at 12:00 JST). The page will centralize announcements, exclusive content and celebrations tied to the franchise. Next comes the main event, the « Update from the Dragon Quest Team » broadcast set for May 27 at 6:00 a.m. PT / 9:00 a.m. ET (10:00 p.m. JST). The 10-minute program will air simultaneously on the official Dragon Quest YouTube channel in both English and Japanese versions. Series creator Yuji Horii had teased on the KosoKoso podcast that the broadcast would « announce the next game » and share « various other things » about the future of the franchise. The date is not arbitrary, as May 27 is officially Dragon Quest Day, in reference to the original release of the first Dragon Quest on Famicom in 1986.

The third event is the 40th anniversary special live stream hosted by Japanese comedian Eiko Kano on his show Critikano Hit, scheduled for May 27 at 4:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. ET (8:00 p.m. JST). As for the content of the main broadcast, all expectations converge on Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate. The game was announced during the 35th anniversary in 2021 and has received no public update for five years, fueling community concern. Fans are also hoping for news regarding the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Dragon Quest XI S, recently rated by classification boards, as well as potential remakes or spin-offs. Square Enix had used the 35th anniversary to unveil six projects in a single broadcast, including Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake and Dragon Quest Treasures. It’s hard to imagine the bar being set lower for the 40th anniversary.