Dragon Quest XI: Modernising an RPG in UE4

What happened

Square Enix used Unreal Engine 4 to modernise Dragon Quest XI. Enlighten handled the lighting, the day-night cycle came down to a value change, and editor iteration was fast enough for quick map redesigns. The team also worked with Epic on garbage collection fixes that later shipped in the engine itself.

Why it worked

• A data-driven lighting setup made time of day a parameter instead of a content task.
• Fast editor iteration let level designers rework maps late without heavy cost.
• Engine problems were fixed with the vendor, so the fixes survived engine upgrades.

What we'd take into a client project

• Profile memory and garbage collection on target hardware early; GC spikes are cheap to plan for and expensive to discover late.
• Build world state (time of day, weather) as parameters so content does not have to be authored per state.
• When you hit an engine bug, report it upstream as well as patching locally, so you are not carrying the patch forever.

Related

• Game development services
• Game development stages
• Unreal tools behind Shin Megami Tensei V

Note: Feative Studios was not involved in this project. This breakdown summarises what the developers have shared publicly; the takeaways are our own.