Yuji Horii is credited as advisor on the Nintendo Switch board game Karma x Cross, released August 6, and was among those marking Dragon Quest's 40th anniversary on May 27. He is not named in G-Mode's current Portopia project.
Yuji Horii appears in three recent stories in different capacities: as a name attached to a new release, as the subject of an anniversary, and as an absence. The most recent, from September 2026, concerns G-Mode's The Portopia Serial Murder Case Continued, announced at the September 9 Nintendo Direct. That story says the Okhotsk team is handling the title and that Koichi Takeshita credited the earlier Murder on the Okhotsk release's reception with making the project viable. Horii is not mentioned in it.
Before that, in August 2026, Any Inc. and ArtePiazza released the Nintendo Switch board game Karma x Cross. Horii served as advisor. The download-only title costs 3,980 yen, is also playable on Nintendo Switch 2, and runs 22 turns with an 8-sided die; all actions convert into the currency Karma, which players spend on Reincarnation Vessels. The credited team also includes original concept by Muneyuki Kaneshiro, character design by Shintaro Majima, game design by Ayaka Sato, and direction by Sachiko Sugimura. It supports 1 to 4 players locally and 2 to 4 online, with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription required for online play.
The earliest of the three, from May 2026, is the 40th anniversary of Dragon Quest on May 27. Horii, former series director Jin Fujisawa, voice actors, and the official Final Fantasy account posted congratulations. The franchise began in 1986 with a command-based RPG that helped popularize the genre in Japan.
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The Portopia Serial Murder Case Continued: Burial of Oblivion was announced at the September 9, 2026 Nintendo Direct, and G-Mode's Koichi Takeshita discussed the project in an email interview. The title follows the same structure as the Hokkaido Serial Murder: Murder on the Okhotsk remake: a full remake of the original game plus a new story. Takeshita said the Okhotsk team is handling it.
Any Inc. and ArtePiazza will release the Nintendo Switch board game 'Tensei Game Karma x Cross' on August 6 at 0:00 JST. The download-only title costs 3,980 yen and is also playable on Nintendo Switch 2. The game is a sugoroku party game where four players who died in unexpected accidents compete for reincarnation into an ideal next life, but only three of the four can be reborn. Matches last 22 turns, split into 11 turns in the first half and 11 in the second half, with an 8-sided die determining outcomes. All player actions, including good deeds, bad deeds, trust, and betrayal, convert into the in-game currency Karma. Players spend Karma to purchase and equip Reincarnation Vessels, which grant vessel value and skills for an advantage. Real negotiations unfold as players cooperate or betray each other over limited reincarnation slots. The game supports 1 to 4 players locally and 2 to 4 players via online play, with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription required for online matches. The creative team includes advisor Yuji Horii, original concept by Muneyuki Kaneshiro, character design by Shintaro Majima, game design by Ayaka Sato, and direction by Sachiko Sugimura.
May 27 marked the 40th anniversary of the Dragon Quest series. Creator Yuji Horii, former series director Jin Fujisawa, voice actors, and the official Final Fantasy account posted congratulations. The franchise began in 1986 with a command-based RPG that helped popularize the genre in Japan.