Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined was unveiled earlier this month and is arriving sooner than many expected — it’s due on February 7, 2026. That release comes just weeks after other Dragon Quest remakes, but the game’s director has stressed the project is not being hurried to market.
As reported by Automaton, the announcement sparked excitement alongside premature criticism from fans who worried the remake might be a quick stopgap while people wait for Dragon Quest 12.
Users on X pointed to screenshots that appear to show fewer explorable islands and the possible removal of monster vocations (the mechanic that lets characters transform into classic DQ monsters mid-battle). Some commenters went so far as to label the remake a “lazy project” intended to fill the gap left by DQ12’s delay.
All the speculation prompted director Masato Yagi to respond on social media, insisting that “we’re not rushing production at the last minute.” He added that the team is putting their hearts and souls into the game and asked fans not to misread his comments as a blanket dismissive response to feedback.
Square Enix has said it’s trimming excess content from Dragon Quest 7 while also introducing “entirely new scenarios,” which could account for some differences seen in early reveals. And if these remakes were purely a hurried attempt to cover for DQ12’s absence, it seems likely the company would have staggered releases more widely.
Dragon Quest’s creator has hinted that the Zenithian Trilogy isn’t forgotten — multiple projects are underway, and “7 simply finished first.”
Source: gamesradar.com
