Square Enix will release Dragon Quest RPG: The Underworld Tree and the Guided Isle, a free-to-play smartphone entry in its flagship series, worldwide in 2027, the company announced, with items sold separately inside the game.
The game was unveiled on November 9. Square Enix describes it as an RPG built for smartphones around the series' three-part adventure loop: exploring, fighting with commands and raising characters.
It will run on iOS and Android. An announcement trailer is scheduled to go live at 8 p.m. on November 10, where further details are expected, Inside reported.
A flagship series turns to in-app purchases
Dragon Quest is among Japan's longest-running role-playing franchises, and its main numbered titles have sold as full-price software. Taking the series to a free-to-play model puts its revenue on in-app purchases rather than an upfront price.
Square Enix has not described what those purchases will cover. The company has also not said how the game will handle the command battles that define the series.
The title is the second Dragon Quest smartphone release announced in quick succession. A separate app was previously announced as a command RPG.