Dragon Quest

If you play video games at all, you probably already know that there are just as many urban legends about them as there are about other topics. For a long time, there was a widespread misconception that Square Enix, the developer of well-known video games like Final Fantasy, was obliged to only release Dragon Quest on the weekends because it was so well-received that students skipped class to buy it. Is it true, then? Indeed and no.

The tale seems to be excellent PR. We have to release our games on the weekends in order to avoid interfering with schoolchildren's life because they are so well-liked! But the narrative is true; the mythological version only has a slightly different message.

A government order to prohibit selling the game on weekdays was it ever issued by the government? No. However, a request was made. Thursdays used to be the day that video games were released, claims game producer Yuu Miyake. Physical media used to be in high demand and always in short supply. Kids would therefore skip class to try to get a copy. They complied after the police informed them that there was a problem and requested that they take action, choosing instead to release the game on Saturdays going forward.

Developer(s); Chunsoft
Publisher(s): JP: Enix
NA: Nintendo
Director(s): Koichi Nakamura
Producer(s): Yukinobu Chida
Designer(s): Yuji Horii