I read this article from GameRant about the possibility of Kingdom Hearts 4 and Dragon Quest XII getting updates off the back of Final Fantasy Rebirth’s release this year:
The Final Fantasy series has dominated Square Enix’s release schedule for the past few years, with Final Fantasy 7 Remake released in 2020, Final Fantasy 16 released in 2023, and now Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth released in 2024. As a result, some of the developer’s other popular franchises have seemingly fallen by the wayside, leaving fans of series like Kingdom Hearts and Dragon Quest in limbo awaiting their next entries. With the wave of new Final Fantasy releases having passed for the moment, the stage is set for both Kingdom Hearts 4 and Dragon Quest 12 to have their grand re-reveals.
Now, I love some of the games that Square Enix has made, and I’m intruiged by DQXIII but their model is not to be admired or replicated. They released more than 35 titles across different formats in 2022 and 27 of those were RPGs but Final Fantasy gets all the press. It’s their biggest title so I get it but their release strategy is a mess. I don’t think there would be as many loss leaders in gaming if it was quality over quantity and the focus was on fewer high quality titles rather than dozens of RPGs with 50–150 hours worth of gameplay release in a single year. Who has time for all that?
It’s unsustainable and unfair on the developers who likely get rushed to complete games and because of the tight deadlines and already bulging catalogue they’re adding to, you’re fighting an uphill battle just to be seen, let alone played and enjoyed.
