So, Dragon Quest. It's kind of a paradox. While it is unquestionably the biggest JRPG series in Japan, and fiercely defended by JRPG purists around the world, its presence outside of Japan is niche at best, unmemorable at worst.Though Square Enix has tried several times to make the series relevant to North Americans, their recent effort with the DS remakes has been with an air of resignment. "Westerners just aren't interested in Dragon Quest," seems to be the attitude, and many fans have been worried that Dragon Quest IX might be passed up for localization completely.
But with over 4 million copies sold in Japan, it appears that Nintendo isn't interested in letting this one slip under the radar, and has announced that they will be assuming publishing duties of the title on this side of the Pacific.
Though Nintendo claims that they have formed a "unique partnership" with Square Enix to make this happen, Microsoft and Ubisoft have made similar partnerships to publish titles Square Enix wasn't interested in (Project Sylpheed and Drakengard 2 respectively, if anyone is counting).
Though Nintendo has yet to announce a formal release date, they have promised that the game will be out sometime this summer for Nintendo DS, and will be released as Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies.
[Kotaku]
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