4Gamer has gathered a number of prolific Japanese game developers to ask them about their plans for 2026, which is fast approaching. The publication has spoken to Takashi Anzai, Yosuke Saito and Kazutoyo Maehiro from gaming giant, Square Enix. Judging from their comments we should expect more Dragon Quest related announcements due to the upcoming 40th anniversary of the franchise. That’s not all as the action-packed NieR: Automata will be celebrating its 9th anniversary, which Saito says they are preparing a surprise for. Here’s the developer comments:
■ Square Enix
Takashi Anzai
(Known for Dragon Quest X Online)
—Ambitions for 2026
“I’ll be taking on various new challenges. I plan to announce them in 2026, so please look forward to it!”
Yosuke Saito
(Known for the Dragon Quest series, the NieR series)
—Ambitions for 2026
“Next year marks the 40th anniversary of Dragon Quest! I’d be extremely happy if everyone could join in on a grand celebration. And for NieR: Automata‘s ninth anniversary, we’re also preparing ‘just a little something…’ so please don’t get too excited with anticipation! With that, I wish you all a happy New Year.”
Kazutoyo Maehiro
(Known for the Final Fantasy Tactics (1997), Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XVI, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, etc.)
—Ambitions for 2026
“In 2025, we released Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles on September 30 and LOGOS: The World of Final Fantasy XVI on December 16. While the game and book took different approaches, we put our all into both so that anyone who picks them up might feel, even just a little, ‘Games are fun, huh?’ The next ‘something’ we’re preparing will also be content with a different approach. We’re working hard to bring you a new gaming experience, so please wait a little longer until the day we can debut it.”
I’m calling it, they are all going to be either symphonies, gachas or both.
The square shills are losing it. I see them trying to attack shareholders now as “evil” like people investing money in this have a right to a return on their investment thats how it works. Saw max dood and is scum friends try to spin that narrative these people are crazy and throw a temper tantrum when they don’t get their way. Capitalism bad when it doesn’t work for them but will stay quiet otherwise and still support the big companies they claim to hate. It’s extremely annoying and weird.
Probably true. Dragon Quest 12 has had a ton of trouble and nothing beyond a logo shown and director left. My guess mlbile and rereleases.
Hopefully we get more remasters/remakes they’ve been amazing so far
Where is Kingdom Hearts 4?
2077 is when we will hear about it.
Square Enix will be closed by then. Same with Capcom 2 dumps of companies making flops.
Yup both catered to weird entitled milennials for too long same with all companies and ignored Gen Z. KH is more relevant to Gen Z than FF and Capcom has titles from that era also nostalgic Ace Attorney, Battle Network, Gotcha Force, Mega Man Legends, and collections sold really well for Battle Network and Ace Attorney like over 1 million at launch you would think they would capitalize on that. Even doing Vs games fans want like Shonen Jump VS Capcom or DC VS Capcom with Power Stone gameplay. Instead they continue with modern slop Exoprimal and Dragons Dogma 2 then their cash cow didn’t meet the expectation MH Wilds.
I’ll be 95 years old by then. 😂
Nomura will be gone by then. Square is a mess horribly run. The company needs to be sold off. They have no direction only a weird set of “fans” that complain and bother everyone while shilling for a company.
Nintendo needs to buy Square Enix already. Downsize them to 2 studios Square Soft anf Enix. Put Final Fantasy on ice like Toei did Super Sentai. Square publishes manga they should turn those into games like cel shaded action adventure RPG’s they would do really well and probably be cheaper than Final Fantasy to make. Nintendo could finally make Super Mario RPG 2, use those characters in Smash, and reunite Monolith with Xenogears.
Square publishes a manga called Red Ranger Becomes And Adventurer In Another World that would be amazing as an open world cel shaded action RPG game.
Here’s hoping they aren’t using AI otherwise it’s a industry wide gamer boycott. No real gamer will knowingly support a developer using AI, only casuals will limited intellect do that.
I support AI so they will get my money instead
Yeah no. Games will probably still be woke. AI doesn’t secure games won’t be trash. So I won’t encourage blindly giving your money to them. Make the companies actually earn it. Also cut prices too, huge benefit of using AI should lead to price drops of games
I would. Why would I care if AI is used. As long as I don’t notice, I don’t care
Agreed. If it cuts costs and opens more doors why would that upset real fans? Also same quality it would not be an issue. But annoying people have to force this issue on us because of their own politics and influencer ties since influencers and game journalists don’t like AI feeling it will replace them and even more so their connections in the industry the devs who get them to take their side and spin narratives. It’s annoying and no one wins but their circle of people, until AI and low sales came to bite them now they hate AI and shareholders pretending they’re evil. These people are mentally ill entitled 40 year olds.
The casual markets both outnumber us and would keep these companies afloat.
Just look at attachment rate of all first party games and you’ll understand how little of an impact we really do in the grand scheme of things.
That doesn’t mean you don’t stand by your values bigot! You are what’s wrong with the world all talk and get nothing done why don’t you delete so important people can actually get things done! You probably are a creep with that weird anime profile pic and love AI for your weird loli likings! How about actually protesting and getting things done instead of conforming to capitalism the normies can be forced to adapt. The same for all companies supporting this burn them down. If America won’t change then abandon it make it go under China is better any way!🇻🇳🇻🇳🇻🇳🇻🇳
Please take everyone like you and move to China, Venezuela, Cuba, or any other socialist or communist place.
Real gamers have no issue with AI only you weirdos do. Also yes FF7 and other Square games will use AI and probably already are most western studios already use it. If you hate AI that much you really may want to ditch technology because you enable it otherwise every tech company is investing in it. Hollywood too, you may want to boycott Disney given their new AI deal.
NEW NIER LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Square Enix games use AI if you hate it that much don’t support them. Then again none of you shills actually care. Boycott FF7 Part 3 or shut up over AI. Max Dood especially and all other influencers for Square claiming AI is “evil” or capitalism which is even stranger given they have no issue with it when things they like sell well.
Can’t wait for FF7 Part 3. I don’t mind if it uses AI.
It probably is. Normal people would have no issue with it but fake entitled milennial activists have to be offended. Hopefully they avoid buying the game if not I don’t want to hear complaints.
Of course you people have low standards and will praise crap like the entire remake trilogy watch part 3 will flop harder than rebirth
Remake trilogy is better then original FF7
He is a scumbag attacking the anime audience again saw him mocking Yugi’s design like how do you not know who Yugi is? Bro really has to be like 50. Always punching down on the anime fandom like if you don’t like something move on why spend time attacking them then complain about treating people better? That’s the thing with people like Max massive hypocrite. He attacks Yugi’s hair design or anime hair but says nothing over Cloud from FF7 his favorite game ever. He doesn’t even like DBZ or anime like why stick your nose in that corner? Just for clicks because he’s desperate. Faze Banks was right these people are so scummy and fake, Soda too hopefully everything will come crashing down like he said on influencers.
Yeah he and his friends also spreading lies that it’s not the devs that tried to save Perfect Dark it was Phil Spencer who tried to sell it to Take2. That is a complete lie by Max, then claim Microsoft stopped it. Massive lie given the head of that game started a new studio at Take2. He defends people he likes in the industry like Phill Geoff, Harada, Kamiya, and whoever he’s paid to shill anyone else he mocks same with fandoms. Phil also ruined Xbox the reason the Mech Assault IP is legally all over the place is because of Phil he Aaron Greenberg, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty need to go. Same with others Max like Yoshi P who lied about FF16 doing well and makes flops Max tried saying that guy was on the level of Sakurai and attacked Itagaki to defend Harada just a scumbag. I do hope he gets iced out the industry he and his kind.
Max is signed to talent agency UTA it makes sense now why he’s such a shill and pushes agenda. People should wake up all these online creators are controlled.
Just give us Dragon Quest IX already. It’s literally the only game still stuck on its original console.
The weirdos woke up it seems
I don’t trust them anymore. The Dragon Quest game will 100% censored if it is a remake or reimagination, as they lied for the last game. And Nier… too big to just jump in and possibly missed a lot of info about the series, so it is pointless to simple jump into the game because “Fun and brainless gaming” nonsense as many people yell. I wish Square would be like in the SNES days, but that will not happen thanks to DEI slop. No thanks…
Most forget Nier is a spinoff of Drakengaurd.
Bro every single main line Dragon Quest game released in the West has been censored on their original release, even Dragon Quest (Warrior) 1 on the NES was censored in 1989. All of them had several censorship changes and always have. You people don’t seem to understand that. You can find entire lists of the original censorship items online if you don’t believe me.
The amount of lies I see spread that Square is unfair. Their games are considered flops because they don’t make back the money that’s what justifies success for them not “high expectations” like these people are claiming, Square wants to make profit and the money spent on marketing and development they are not getting that. Then these people complain shareholders are bad for wanting return on investments and lie about games success. FF7 Rebirth, FF16, Foamstars, Forespoken, Babylons Fall, GOTG, Hitman, Deus Ex Mankind Diveded, Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, Life Is Strange, Stranger In Paradise, and many others were flops not just Avengers like people are falsely claiming also mobile isn’t doing well for them and neither is FF14. Nier Automata was not a mega seller out the gate either it took years for it to reach over 8 million copies sold and that was probably many copies sold at discount but once again many are trying to claim Square refuses to continue a “successful” franchise it really wasn’t that successful as they claim people like Max Dood and his friend group falsely claiming these lies and other Square I don’t even know if they should be called shills maybe just delusional simps. It’s concerning when near 50 year old men claim FF7 is real life and should be taken as such promoting eco terrorism like Hasan Piker but also conform to all they claim to hate.
Everyone also forget Valkyrie Elysium another flop they made and Outriders. Killer Inn on the way too and I think Just Cause 4 flopped too. Like how can people ignore all those flops?
Where is Kingdom Hearts 4? No trailer since 2022. What is going on? Shareholders need to call this