Speculation: Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D's fate as Square Enix announces development changes

The fate of several upcoming Square Enix RPGs, including Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D may be hanging by a thread. According to 4gamer, the company sent out a letter in-house about a “notification of Extraordinary Losses”. As a result of these losses, the game development company has disclosed that they, as of March 27, 2024, are canceling the development of certain “high-definition (HD) games” that were already greenlit. The company plans on being more selective about where it puts its resources in the future.

Unfortunately, the letter, which has also been translated and published on the Square Enix website, does not detail which of the upcoming games have been canceled, Dragon Quest 3 2D-HD or otherwise.

Many fans have their fears and worries about which games are doomed to never see the light of day. At this time, all we can do is speculate about which games have been canceled. Here are some possibilities.

Square Enix’s in-house letter doesn’t specify any games, but the phrase “high-definition (HD) games” may spell disaster for Dragon Quest 3 2D-HD. In the modern era, all games more or less, are high definition. It’s just how things are done these days. However, the one game that they’ve officially announced as an “HD” game is DQ3.

It would be a strange choice for Square Enix to abandon Dragon Quest 3 2D-HD after being announced in 2021. Originally revealed as part of the franchise’s 35th Anniversary announcements, it’s easily one of the franchise’s most popular games - at least in Japan. It’s also my favorite entry into the series, other than DQ11.

With the letter specifically mentioning HD games, there aren’t too many entries this could be in reference to. There are other games it could mean, as there are plenty of remakes