The quintessential RPG for the Japanese market is coming to the Wii.
If there was any lingering doubt that the Wii would be the home console of choice in Japan, this pretty much ends it. It's just been broken through Famitsu and other Japanese language outlets covering Square Enix's Dragon Quest press event that Dragon Quest X is in development and will land on the Nintendo Wii (Reuters confirms the news in English).
Dragon Quest IX already caused a splash when it became the first mainline Dragon Quest game to come to a handheld system (the Nintendo DS) instead of a home console. However, this move made sense given the extent of the Nintendo DS userbase in Japan. Regardless, Dragon Quest X will return to home consoles with the Nintendo Wii, which is outselling its console competitors in the Japanese market but has a long way to go before it can match the DS install base. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata himself was at the Square Enix press conference, and thanked Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii for announcing what amounts to a coup for Nintendo.
Square Enix did not mention a release window for Dragon Quest X, nor did they provide any details beyond the game's existence.
Square Enix did set a release date for Dragon Quest IX in the country: March 28, 2009 at a price of 5980 yen.
Thanks to reader Bill Aurion for the tip!