Microsoft has confirmed that Dragon Quest Builders 2 will soon be released on Xbox consoles, as the game will join Dragon Quest 11 as part of Xbox Game Pass. This announcement confirms yesterday's speculation after Dragon Quest Builders 2 became available for Game Pass subscribers to pre-purchase, leading many to believe that an Xbox release was imminent.
Dragon Quest Builders 2, while being part of the long-running Dragon Quest series, is a very different game from the main series as it focuses on building and crafting like Minecraft. When the game was released worldwide in 2019, it was available on both PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, with a PC version coming a few months later, but there was no word on an Xbox version.
Now, fans of Dragon Quest on Xbox are finally being awarded for their patience as Dragon Quest Builders 2 will release on Xbox starting May 4, 2021. According to a blog post on the official Xbox site, the game will release on Xbox One, but will be available on Xbox Series X/S via backward compatibly. Dragon Quest Builders 2 sees players take on the role of a builder, someone with the ability to create all sorts of things from weapons to houses. For JRPG fans, the game doesn't forget its roots, and still features a traditional story.
The release of Dragon Quest Builders 2 will come just over a month after Square Enix brought Octopath Traveler to Xbox, and included the game in Xbox Game Pass. Apparently, Square Enix is currently partnering with Microsoft to bring more of its classic franchises to Xbox, and by extension Game Pass, if recent reports are to be believed. This partnership is mutually beneficial to both companies. Microsoft gets to add more JRPGs to its library of games, a genre that was previously under-represented on Xbox. At the same time, Square Enix gets to bring its games to a wider audience, which is more likely to try them out because of the games being on Game Pass.
This is a big year for the Dragon Quest franchise, as the series celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2021. Apparently, series director Yuji Horii has something special planned. While fans are still waiting to see exactly how the series will mark this milestone, they will be excited to see the community grow as Dragon Quest continues to access a whole new audience.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is available now on PC, PS4, and Switch, with an Xbox One release coming May 4, 2021.
Source: Xbox Wire
