‘Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age’ Release Date Announced; Switch Version Coming Later

Dragon Ques t fans are in for a treat in 2018 now that the release date for the long-awaited Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age has been revealed. Square Enix announced Dragon Quest XI will drop on PS4 and Steam Sept. 4 in North America and Europe. However, if you’re looking to pick up the game for the Nintendo Switch it’ll be a longer wait.

Dragon Quest XI was released in Japan for PS4 and 3DS in July 2017 but Square Enix is shifting priorities when it comes to distributing the JRPG on Nintendo consoles. Square Enix confirmed to IGN that there won’t be a 3DS version in the west.

A statement to IGN reads, "Our aim with Dragon Quest XI and the Dragon Quest brand is to grow the audience in the West. From a business point of view, it made strategic sense to release the 3DS version in Japan in 2017. For the West in 2018, it made the most sense to focus on the PlayStation 4 and PC (Steam) platforms."

This is the first mainline Dragon Quest that will receive a PC release in the west and the localised version includes a number of improvements and additions including English dialogue, a Hard Mode, overhauled menus, faster dash speed and a first-person camera. But as for the Nintendo Switch version, fans will have to expect its release much later.

"We are also developing the Switch version for Europe and North America," reads Square Enix's statement, "but development is expected to take a long time from a technological standpoint as well, so we still have a long way to go until its release".

What do you think of the wait for the Nintendo Switch version of Dragon Quest XI? Will you wait for it? Let us know in the comments section below.