Ahead of Dragon's Dogma 2, director says "We don't need to" call the RPG series a cult classic anymore: "It's sold its way and made its way into many gamers' hearts"

Dragon's Dogma
(Image credit: Capcom)

Dragon's Dogma 2's director says we no longer need to call the original RPG a cult game due to its sales figures and popularity.

In a new interview with VG247, Dragon's Dogma 2 director Hideaki Itsuno, who also helmed the original RPG at Capcom, dispels the idea that Dragon's Dogma is still a "cult" game. "I'd like to think we don't need to call it that anymore," Itsuno says to the outlet.

"It's been a long time since the first game came out, and over the years I think it's sold its way and made its way into many gamer's hearts," the director continues. "Hopefully, now that we're on the eve of releasing Dragon's Dogma 2, we can finally say that it's just another popular, well-selling series that a lot of gamers love rather than treating it as a cult concern."

Dragon's Dogma was first released in 2012 for the PS3 and Xbox 360, but it's since been ported to the PS4 and Xbox One, as well as the PC and Nintendo Switch platforms. As of September 2023, the original game had sold over 7.9 million copies around the world, spawning a Netflix anime series in 2020 and now a sequel, 12 years after the original game.

It's a little difficult to pinpoint why Dragon's Dogma is still referred to as a "cult" hit by fans. Itsuno's right to point out that the RPG has sold well - it's sold nearly as many copies as Nier Automata, for example, a game that was a wild breakout hit for developer PlatinumGames and helped push the Nier series in general to international fame.

One could argue that Dragon's Dogma was developing features that were well ahead of its time. The Pawn system, for example, where the player character could issue orders to followers in the heat of battle, is generally considered to be innovative for its time, and the 'grab' feature, where the player could cling onto limbs of huge beasts, was pretty mind-blowing for 2012. 

One could also argue that Dragon's Dogma has never really received the proper recognition for pioneering features like this, which is perhaps why fans still consider it a cult-like game. Legions of fans on sites like Twitter near-constantly urge newcomers to try out Capcom's original RPG, and perhaps this dedication has also helped feed into that "cult" game mentality over the last decade or so.

It'll be really interesting to see how Dragon's Dogma 2 sells at launch, considering Itsuno's comments, and the original game's increased popularity in 2024. After huge hits with Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and Street Fighter games, is Capcom poised for yet another smash-hit success game?

You can read our full Dragon's Dogma 2 preview for more comments from director Itsuno on the sequel. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
Riding on a horse with a group of companions in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's developer knew it couldn't "repeat the Eurojank" of the first game – and as sales soar, Warhorse is having a Witcher 3 moment
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Days after EA CEO suggests players crave live service guff, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 boss says their single-player RPG made all its money back in one day
Key art for Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake.
In a true JRPG miracle, Square Enix says Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D sales are better "than initially assumed"
Kingdom Come: Deliverance protagonist Henry caught by guards
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 breaks into Steam's top 50 most-played with a peak concurrent player count more than twice what the original had
Clashing swords with an enemy in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
As nearly 2 million sales laugh in the face of live-service pushes, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's success "is a reminder" to release "great" games: "High-quality teams need to have the resources and the time to execute their visions"
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
In a world of live-service chasing, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 proves people still love single-player games as it sells 2 million units in under 2 weeks
Latest in Action Rpg
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"
The First Berserker: Khazan protagonist
The First Berserker: Khazan isn't even out yet, but the new Soulslike RPG already has over 1,300 94% positive reviews on Steam from early buyers
Lies of P art showing P walking in a snowy forest
Lies of P director loves FromSoftware and respects the Soulslike tag, but says "I'm really serious, I'm not lying, I'm very truthful, our focus is to create our own style of game"
Lies of P Overture art of P
Lies of P director says Overture DLC is at least 15 to 20 hours long for "experienced" players, packing tons of bosses and ideas the devs couldn't fit at launch
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot showing a hunter battling a congalala
If you missed the last one, the new Monster Hunter Wilds event quest is another way to stock up on rare ingredients before the big update drops next week
Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds' first major update rights its greatest wrong by adding a proper Palico cooking animation, and it's letting you change Alma's glasses
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"