In addition to the previously confirmed initial shipment of 2.5 million copies of Dragon Quest VIII: Sora to Umi to Daichi to Norowareshi Himegimi, Square Enix has managed to produce another 280,000 copies in time for the game's Saturday release in Japan. It goes without saying that this is easily a record for the current generation of hardware. While it is considered a given, that the game will become the bestselling PlayStation 2 title in Japan, topping Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2 and Dragon Quest V: Tenguu no Hanayome, analysts are not sure whether the newest Dragon Quest installment can repeat the remarkable sales performance of its prequel, which was the only title in its generation to hit quadruple platinum, by selling 4.11 million copies in Japan.

While Square Enix has yet to announce a stateside release of the series' eighth installment, president Youichi Wada in an interview with Mainichi Interactive today, reiterated the company's plan to bring Dragon Quest to overseas markets. Drawing a comparison to Square Enix's other flagship series, Wada mentioned that if Final Fantasy is successful abroad, Dragon Quest has the potential to become a hit as well.

• Namae No Nai Heya