Square Enix has announced they will be bringing the Dragon Quest’s first foray into the MMORPG market to the PC audience on September 26. The catch is, of course, this will be a Japan-only release.
Though there are certainly fans of the series in the West, the Dragon Quest name does not carry the same reputation here as it does in Japan. There are no guaranteed sales numbers for the series in the west, nor is there a large enough potential playerbase for Square Enix to take the gamble of releasing a second MMO into the Western market alongside Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. It’s disappointing, but is something Western fans of Japanese games have come to expect.
If you happen to be interested in playing Dragon Quest X on the PC and have a working knowledge of Japanese alongside a reliable proxy (to get around the IP block), you may want to check out the benchmark tool provided by Nvidia and the two options for purchase on the Square Enix web store.
The two editions being released are standard and the “Special Pack”, which includes an authenticator, Dragon Quest X controller, Monster Encyclopedia, world map, and an item code. Finally, because the game is pay to play both releases come with 20 days of free time.
Perhaps what is most odd about this Wii/Wii U port, is the lack of cross-platform play between the PC and the other two releases.
Wii and Wii U players will be able to use their own account information to log into the PC version of Dragon Quest X, but this is the extent of compatibility between Nintendo’s systems and the PC. This is likely due to the closed nature of Nintendo’s net infrastructure, considering Final Fantasy XI saw cross-platform play between the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360 in its heyday.
