LuckyTrouble on 12 November 2015
| Teeqoz said: I remember some higher-up at Square accidentally spoiling it a while ago, but nice for fans to have it confirmed  |
It wasn't just some higher up at Square. Yuji Horii himself, the creator of Dragon Quest and still head of the studio making each entry (SE just publishes), said it during Japan Expo in the summer. It was pretty obvious they were actually coming then too, considering reps and such apparently got pissed at Horii for letting it slip before they were ready to make the official announcement.
http://gematsu.com/2015/07/dragon-quest-vii-viii-3ds-coming-west-according-series-creator
