There can only be one Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age. At least, that seems to be the going policy for publishers Square Enix, who have delisted the existing version of the RPG from Steam and other storefronts in favour of this week’s new definitive “S” edition. Sure, while it’s probably less confusing to only have one edition of your massive JRPG on store shelves, it’s riled up fans who don’t feel the new edition’s changes are enough to justify buying the game all over again.
I suppose making sure it’s the only edition of the game available to purchase is one way of making something the “Definitive Edition”. Feels a bit cheap though, right?
Popping over to the Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Digital Edition of Light Steam listing now comes with a notice that the game has been delisted at the publisher’s request, with a pointer to the new Definitive Edition. Existing owners can still download and manage their version as normal, but otherwise, this is an edition of the game closed off to new players.
As Eurogamer points out, there are a few points of contention between the two editions that might cause someone to pick the older over the newer. Due to its roots as a Switch port, there are some graphical differences that some might consider a downgrade. Owners of the old edition are also frustrated at the idea of new content being locked behind the full-price new game, rather than additions to the sprawling RPG they already own.
It’s also rather cheeky considering Square Enix can now resell (largely) the same game for a slightly higher price point. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age – Definitive Edition is now the only edition of the game available on Steam, Epic and the Microsoft Store, priced at £30/€40/$40.