Is Dragon Quest XI Coming to Nintendo Switch?

Is Dragon Quest XI Coming to Nintendo Switch?

Dragon Quest XI Echoes of an Elusive Age made a big splash when it launched in early September. The game earned critical acclaim for its gorgeous art-style, incredibly detailed environments, and its exciting turn-based battle system. It’s the series’ return to AAA, home console after a near ten-year hiatus, and we’re thrilled that it’s absolutely one of the best games in the long-standing franchise. The whole, “this is the one that’s going to introduce the franchise to the west” conversation has been repeated countless times, but this might actually be the title that does it. Of course, it’s already been out for a year in Japan, though not on Nintendo Switch. Just like us, Japan is still wondering whether the game is actually ever coming to the Big N’s hardware. So what’s the answer? Is Dragon Quest XI coming to Nintendo Switch?

Thankfully, as far as we know, there are still plans for Dragon Quest XI to make its way to Nintendo Switch. The trouble is we just don’t know when. Of course, Japanese players actually already have a handheld version of the game available on Nintendo 3DS, but that’s not coming to the west. For Dragon Quest XI on the go, we’re going to have to wait until the Switch version.

Back in June, Polygon asked director Takeshi Uchikawa and producers Hokuto Okamoto and Hikari Kubota for an update on the Switch version. Here’s what they said:

“We’re making it,” said Okamoto. “We’re still making it. I can’t say anything more.”

“When we first announced [Dragon Quest 11], the Switch hadn’t come out yet, and the development kit also wasn’t finalized,” he said. “The hardware specs weren’t out yet, but we were like, ‘We can manage this. We can put this out on the Switch.’”

So there you have it. Dragon Quest XI Echoes of an Elusive Age is certainly coming to Nintendo Switch, we just don’t know when.