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."
