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Dragon Quest 9 has been trapped on the Nintendo DS for 17 years, and franchise creator Yuji Horii was “a little disheartened” to learn fans never wanted that
Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies has remained locked to the ageing Nintendo DS for 17 years, never receiving the re-releases or ports that most other entries in the long-running series have enjoyed. Series creator Yuji Horii has revealed he was "a little disheartened" upon learning that fans never actually wanted the game to be a DS exclusive in the first place, suggesting the decision to keep it tied to that one platform was not something the audience had asked for or welcomed.
The comments highlight a long-standing point of frustration among Dragon Quest fans, who have watched numerous mainline and spin-off titles ported to modern consoles and PC while the ninth instalment stays confined to ageing handheld hardware. Horii's remarks suggest the original platform choice may have been more of an internal or business decision than a fan-driven one, fuelling renewed hope and speculation that Square Enix could eventually bring Dragon Quest 9 to current-generation systems.
In short
- Dragon Quest 9 has stayed DS-exclusive for 17 years.
- Creator Yuji Horii says fans never wanted that exclusivity.
- Comments fuel hopes of a future re-release or port.
Explained simply
Dragon Quest is a long-running Japanese role-playing game series published by Square Enix. Each main game tells a separate fantasy adventure, so players can usually start with different instalments without knowing the earlier stories.
The ninth game, Sentinels of the Starry Skies, was made for Nintendo DS, a handheld console released in 2004. Its portable design and features shaped how the game was played, while many other entries in the series have since appeared on newer devices.
Yuji Horii helped create the series, and Square Enix controls its games and releases. Whether older titles are brought to modern platforms can affect who is able to play them, as well as how the company preserves and sells its catalogue.
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