Earlier in the year, Nintendo announced that it, not Square Enix, would be in charge of publishing duties for the North American launch of DS RPG Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies. Today, the game that has sold over four million copies in Japan has been given a North American ship date.
Dragon Quest IX will ship on July 11, exactly one year after the game launched in Japan. It’s sure to be something special, but don’t count on it breaking any sales records stateside. Like with the Monster Hunter games, the Dragon Quest series has always been a MUCH bigger deal in Japan — although IX was supposedly designed to cater more to the Western audience.
Now we just need Square Enix to confirm a date for the DS version of Dragon Quest VI already. I’m dying to complete the Zenithia Trilogy!
“DRAGON QUEST IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies is one of the biggest games ever to hit Nintendo DS, with an incredible amount of content for every kind of player to enjoy,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “This new game has all of the elements of an instant classic: customization options, a great story, and the ability to share a nearly limitless experience with friends.”