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Dragon Quest IX preorders top 2 million in Japan
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Kotaku reports, from a story in the Japanese Nikkei newspaper, that upcoming Square Enix RPG Dragon Quest IX (subtitled Hoshizora no Mamoribito in Japan) is already a multimillion seller, and it doesn’t come out for another three days. According to Nikkei, preorders for the DS title have topped 2 million, proving that the Dragon Quest series doesn’t appear to be losing its place at the top of the RPG heap in Japan anytime soon.
The last major Dragon Quest game (one of the best JRPGs ever) was released for the PS2 way back in 2005, and the announcement that Dragon Quest VIII’s successor would be developed exclusively for the Nintendo DS came as quite a shock. It was obviously an economically-motivated decision, as the DS has become a bona fide phenomenon in Japan, having sold over 25 million units. Combine such a massive install base with a series so popular in Japan that laws have been passed ordering businesses closed on the release date of each new installment, and it is easy to see why Square Enix chose to focus on the DS for Dragon Quest IX.
While Dragon Quest has never been as popular in North America as it is in Japan, usually because it is overshadowed by Square Enix’s other RPG behemoth Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest VIII did sell an admirable 500,000 copies here, so perhaps IX is poised to significantly expand upon the series’ western audience thanks to the broad range of DS users.
Dragon Quest IX releases July 11 in Japan. No firm date has been given for North America, though an early 2010 release seems most likely.
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