Dragon Quest IX went DS-exclusive to fuel quick local multiplayer, Horii reveals

Dragon Quest IX was made a Nintendo DS exclusive to enable quick, easy local-network play and four-player multiplayer; creator Yuji Horii says the move surprised fans and left the team a bit disheartened by the backlash, and while he was convinced by Akihiro Hino, the game remains DS-only for now with potential future releases on modern platforms.