Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies is being released Stateside, but not by Square Enix. Nintendo announced they are publishing Dragon Quest IX in North America and it’s scheduled for a summer release.
A similar deal was made for Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls and Final Fantasy IV – VI Advance where Square Enix published those titles in Japan and Nintendo handled them in the West. But, those were Final Fantasy games and Final Fantasy is already popular around the world. Dragon Quest is still significantly bigger in Japan than any other territory.
Will Nintendo of America’s marketing dollars and seal of approval make Dragon Quest IX a smashing success in North America? Years ago, it worked with Dragon Warrior.