Dragon Quest XI Switch Still Needs “Quite Some Time”, Why 3DS Version Wasn’t Brought Here
Dragon Quest XI is going to still need “quite some time” in development before we see it come to Nintendo Switch. In addition, we now know the reason why the Japan-exclusive 3DS version wasn’t brought to the West. Both of these new details were revealed in a recent interview session with the developers. Fans from around the world got to ask questions and have them answered in a video.
Part one of the Dragon Quest XI Development Team Interview went live recently and we got a ton of info in it. The interview was conducted by the JRPG’s director Takeshi Uchikawa and producer Hokuto Okamoto. First and foremost, they were asked about how long it takes for developing the game.
Dragon Quest XI Dev Team Interview Part 1
The answer that Uchikawa and Okamoto gave was that it takes about as long as the time between Olympic games. That would set development time on Dragon Quest XI to be around four or so years. That certainly sounds about right given that the previous game, an MMO, released in 2012. XI followed nearly five years later in Japan in 2017.
Lastly, Uchikawa and Okamoto were asked about the development of the Nintendo Switch version. Additionally, fans wanted to know why the 3DS version didn’t come to the West. In the case of the Switch version, Okamoto noted that they expect development on it to “still take quite some time.”
Unfortunately, news regarding the 3DS version wasn’t much better. Though it launched day and date alongside the PS4 version in Japan, it doesn’t seem we’ll be getting it. According to Okamoto, the 3DS version didn’t fit the conditions necessary to release here. He cites that the team wanted to show off the game’s beautiful graphics so the PS4 and PC versions were the only ones chosen.