Living Dragon Quest legend Yuji Horii just made history in his native Japan.
The 71 year old has received the 'Order of the Rising Sun' — a government-issued honour that recognises outstanding service within a particular field.
Horii's the first game developer to ever claim the award; in the past, it's been presented to prominent figures within the industry, but never an actual designer.
Obviously, Horii's had to wait quite some time to be recognised like this. He's been working on Dragon Quest since 1986 — when the very first game launched on the NES.
Still, he's remained impressively humble. Commenting on the recognition, he said: "It's thanks to all the staff that helped create the games with me, and to all the users who have always supported us."
"I've leveled up in many ways, done many things, and all my hard work has paid off," Horii mused, as per Fuji News Network.
Right now, Horii continues to crack on with Dragon Quest 12, which, beyond a logo reveal back in 2021, remains an enigma.
But hey, at least we've got the largely excellent Dragon Quest HD-2D Remakes to keep us entertained in the meantime, and Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined remains set for February 2026.
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