The Japanese government has bestowed upon the video game developer Yuji Horii, best known as the creator of the Dragon Quest franchise, the Order of the Rising Sun. Known as one of the highest awards that the Japanese government can give to a citizen, it is awarded to those who make significant contributions in their field. Yuji Horii is the first game developer to receive such an honor, though, given just how much his contribution would shape the face of gaming, it is hard to argue there is someone more deserving of such an honor.
In an interview with Japanese publication TBS, Horii stated:
I think it’s a great honor, I’m surprised. I’ve been making games for quite a long time now, about 40 years, but I didn’t do it alone. It’s all thanks to the staff who helped create the games alongside me, and to all the players who have continuously supported us.
Horii first entered the gaming space in 1983 with Love Match Tennis, a game he entered into a contest only to catch the eye of game developer Enix, which was founded in 1975. He followed this up with the universally acclaimed The Portopia Serial Murder Case, which was published by Enix. He would work on follow-ups to this game shortly after, before going to work on his most well-known franchise, Dragon Quest, in 1986, a title that was made in collaboration with Akira Toriyama, whose seminal Manga Dragon Ball had launched only two years prior.
Dragon Quest, though it’s hard to look back and see, was considered groundbreaking for its time and is considered to be a turning point in video game history. It is often cited as a pioneering title for Japanese RPGs. Long-running fantasy RPG Final Fantasy, for instance, has been noted for borrowing several elements and, in turn, being heavily inspired by the title, going on to its own massive success. Other franchises like Shin Megami Tensei and its popular spin-off Persona, while not directly drawing from it, have been noted for their similarities with Dragon Quest, being credited for helping pave the way for such games to exist.
The Dragon Quest series is still going strong as well, with Yoji Horii having remained involved. Just recently, Dragon Quest I & II HD Remake was released, following up on the success of III HD Remake, which was released last year, and set a new concurrent record for users on Steam for Square Enix. A new entry in the mainline series, Dragon Quest XII, is also in development, though it has remained fairly quiet since a teaser trailer was released in 2021. Despite this Horii has stated that development is proceeding well. A remake of Dragon Quest VII is also slated to release next year.
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